Municipal and Official Handbook of the City of Auckland, New Zealand/Stores Purchasing Department
STORES PURCHASING DEPARTMENT.
This Department came into operation on July 1st, 1921, and was established for the purpose of securing economy in purchasing Corporation supplies. Prior to this each department had been responsible for the purchasing of its own supplies.
For the purpose of ascertaining the requirements of each department the Officer in Charge of the Stores Department submits schedules of the goods purchased and used, over a given period, to the heads of departments, who in return are required to fill in the estimated requirements for a year ahead. These schedules are collated by the Stores Officer, who is then in a position to obtain prices for the total amounts of any particular item required by the whole of the Corporation Departments.
The prices so obtained are, after consultation between the Stores Officer and the heads of departments, recommended to the Stores Committee for acceptance or otherwise.
TENDERS AND QUOTATIONS.
For the supply of goods of an expensive character, specifications are prepared and tenders invited by advertisement. For smaller lines prices are obtained on special quotation sheets, which are posted to the firms on the list for the particular class of supplies required.
ORDERS.
When the lowest satisfactory tenders are ascertained, orders on the triplicate official order form are placed for items selected from each tender. The original copy is sent to the supplier, the duplicate copy is retained in the Purchasing Department, and the triplicate copy forwarded to the department for which the goods are ordered.
DELIVERIES.
The supplies are delivered to the department ordering them, and their receipt vouched for in the space provided on the back of the pink copy of the order form, which is returned to the Purchasing Department.
INVOICES.
All invoices for goods supplied are first delivered to the Purchasing Department, where they are checked with the deliveries and prices on the (pink) copy of the order returned from the department, after which they are forwarded to the department concerned for the purpose of accounting.
STORING OF MATERIALS.
The bulk of the material used by the Corporation is stored at Mount Roskill Tramway Depot, and from there the various departments are supplied weekly.