TCM’s Purchasing module efficiently handles all aspects of the procurement cycle, including purchase order creation and printing, receiving, providing vendor price quotations, management of blanket orders and extensive vendor analysis reporting. It can also automatically generate purchase orders or cut releases from blanket purchase orders to fill approved requisitions.

Features also include onetime purchase orders, the handling of general supplies and automatic e–mail receipt and/or inspection status notification.

Reliable sourcing is critically important in maintaining your operation’s effectiveness. TCM’s Purchasing gives you the necessary tools to both monitor vendor performance and to improve your relationship with suppliers through statistics and corrective actions. Vendor performance statistics are maintained so you can determine which vendors are performing for you and which need to improve or be replaced. This module also contains a complete incoming inspection system, which records all rejects, and follows them until disposition is made.

Multiple approved vendors may be set up for purchased items, capturing their current price breaks, unique part numbers, units of measure and special instructions.

Purchasing is integrated with TCM’s document management capability so you can maintain drawings and specifications for purchase orders that can be accessed by anyone involved in the purchasing, receiving, or inspection process.

A complete history of all creations, changes, cancellations, receipts, inspections and dispositions of purchase order lines are reflected in Purchasing History. Costing evaluation is improved by visibility into three levels of costing, the purchase order, the cost recorded at receipt time, and the cost entered from TCM’s Account Payable module in the Finance, Accounting & Administration Suite.

In summary, Purchasing helps ensure the right material, in an adequate quantity, is delivered in time to get the job done. The reduction of time–consuming administrative activities, such as searching for a copy of an order, or trying to discover if a delivery was received, lets you focus on getting a fair price and maintaining reliable sources of supply.

Even more, reduced receiving and inspection time, together with improved control and coordination of your receiving functions, further decreases your procurement costs.