Inventory stocking request guidelines

In our organization if they are stock items no approval is required.

To have an item added to inventory, it has to be used frequently and by multiple departments.

We don't have any written policy on this but there are some scenarios that come to mind. If the item is available from our distributor and usage may be once or twice a week, we'll just make it nonstock from the distributor because we will get it next day anyway. But if we have to get it directly from a vendor or manufacturer we would probably bring it into stock. If the item is only available by the CA of 1000 and departments need a few EA at a time we might bring it into stock. If usage is estimated to be high by multiple departments we might bring it into stock regardless of whether it's stocked at the distributor.

We are a small facility, so trying to keep inventory at a manageable level is especially important.

There are several things to consider:

   1)  Is this new item replacing a current item. (Want to make sure all old stock is used before using the new.) 

side note: Make sure your storeroom is organized LIKE with LIKE.  I am finding lots of duplicate items throughout. Also found an item that acute care was requesting a sample of.  I was in the process of getting the sample when I found it on the shelf.

   2)  Are there multiple areas that will use this new item?  May want to check that ALL areas using this approve.  (Trying to keep duplicated stock from happening.)

   3)  Does the new item work in conjunction with any current items/equipment?  (Make sure they are compatible.) 

   4)  Do we need that EXACT item?  Maybe I have a similar item on contract that will be cheaper.

   5)  What will be the annual usage?  We have several items in surgery that are for emergency only.  The "gotta have it but will never use it".  (ie: grafts and suture for aortic aneuryism)  Also have seldom used items such as large laparoscopic suction tips for emergency tubal pregnancies.  We DO keep these on the counted inventory sheet (Par Cart-IC81) but do not stock them.  When the par drops, it will send an order request via PO100 to my buyer.  (see my thread about non-stock inventory reordering)

   6) Lastly, kind of silly, but make sure the request is department manager approved.  We have a few nurses and doctors that think we need multiples of everything stocked.

 

Hope this helps.

If its a high usage item, used in more than one area, comes in a large quantity (such as case of 100) and the requesting department can only manage a smaller amount.