Planning:
- The tasks of the purchasing department include planning, setting a sound purchasing policy and developing it to suit the circumstances and requirements of the institution. The features of this policy are often determined based on a set of criteria, such as quantity, need, quality, price, etc.
Conducting research:
- Because the purchasing department is the element of direct dealing with the business market, it must be fully aware of the market situation and its fluctuations, which requires conducting continuous research and studies. Therefore, it is considered one of the responsibilities of the purchasing department to collect information related to the institution's needs for materials and services, study their price trends and the availability of their quantities, as well as study appropriate alternatives.
Reviewing purchase requests:
- The tasks of the purchasing department also include reviewing purchase requests submitted by various departments. If there is an excess in them, the requests are reviewed with the department to restructure them in a way that meets the needs of the department and does not conflict with the institution's plan.
Scheduling purchases:
- The purchasing department works to organize a schedule for receiving purchases, so that it meets the needs of the institution and its various departments. It also takes into account the storage efficiency of the institution, taking into account the scheduling of financial payments for the supplied materials.
Determining the stock level:
- Setting stock levels is the responsibility of the purchasing department, which is done in cooperation with the warehouse department, where stock levels are set between the minimum order, the reorder point, and the maximum stock.
Issuing purchase and supply orders:
- After agreeing with the supplier to bring in materials from him in a specific quantity, price, and specifications, the purchasing department issues a purchase order document to the supplier in order to supply the company's warehouses with these materials, and follows up with him on the delivery process.
Approving the delivery process:
- The purchasing department works in cooperation with legal affairs to ensure the integrity of purchase contracts and invoices. The purchasing department also approves the supplied materials after they are examined by specialists and ensured that they comply with the required specifications.
Disposing of excess stock:
- The purchasing department also has the task of disposing of items that are no longer needed and are causing a burden on the stock.