J_10 West Coast DSCP Subsistence Prime vendor Guide Book April 2000 23March2010.pdf

April 2000April 2000

Benefits of Prime Vendor

• Product Catalogs Tailored to Your Needs

• Reduced Local Purchase Work Load

• Reduced Product Costs

• Inventory Reduction

• Mechanized Ordering System

• Vendor Selection by Best Value Contracting

• One Stop Shopping

• Door-to-Door Delivery

• Reduced Order and Delivery Lead Time

• Quality and Technical Support

• Worldwide Customer Support

• Surge and Mobilization Assurance

WHAT IS PRIME VENDOR?

Prime Vendor is a concept of support whereby a single commercial distributor serves as the major provider of product to various federal customers within a geographical region or zone. The vendor supplies commercially available Subsistence items under a contractual agreement established by the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia.

The Subsistence Prime Vendor selected for your zone will deliver to your individual dining halls or to the delivery points you have chosen within your installation. You have access to the vendor’s full-line of food and beverage products normally provided on a single truck within 48 hours. Special and emergency deliveries are also available. Customer will select the number of deliveries and the days of the week these deliveries should be made. The Program is tailored to meet your needs and fill your requirements.

A Prime Vendor catalog will be established for your area and will represent the basis for ordering products. This catalog will be modified and adjusted throughout the life of the contract to meet your food needs. Delivery and receipt requirements are simplified. Gone are the days of not knowing when products will be received.

The Prime Vendor will notify you of items that are not available for delivery and offer you an appropriate substitute. At time of delivery, items can be rejected and the vendor will schedule replacement. Deliveries from the Prime Vendor are the same as the deliveries you receive from other commercial vendors.

Prime Vendor is a partnership between DSCP, the Vendor and You the customer. This alliance is paramount to the success of the Program. If DSCP is to provide and maintain the maximum level of support required in time of peace as well as in time of conflict, this partnership must be established to enable all of us to share progress into the 21st Century.

WHY PRIME VENDOR?

Prime Vendor enables the Military and Federal communities to take advantage of the commercial vendors’ food distribution systems. We can tap into a resource that our transportation systems cannot duplicate. Prime Vendor gives you, the customer, access to a vendor’s catalog with thousands of food items. It enables the customer to receive deliveries within 48 hours. You decide what you want, when you want it and where you want it. It provides one stop shopping and ease of bill paying through DSCP. Prime Vendor is viewed as the best possible way to support our continental United States military customers with brand-name selections and a wide variety of choice.

PRIME VENDOR “ROOTS”

The Prime Vendor program is the result of a DSCP commitment to doing business in a new way, in partnership with our vendors and our customers. The program began in order to reduce DLA warehouses that were stocked with millions of dollars worth of material. Expansive inventories tie up valuable dollars and require expensive storage, handling and second destination charges. Prime Vendor by passes the clogged supply pipeline and lays a new streamlined pipeline providing fresher product for the customer.

The new concept began at the end of 1993 with our first Prime Vendor contract. This contract was established for three military hospitals in the Washington, DC area. This project proved to be very successful and resulted in very significant cost savings for these hospitals.

Based on a Government Accounting Office (GAO) study, published in June 1993, of the Department of Defense (DoD) food distribution system; it was recommended that subsistence support for the Continental United States military troop feeding adopt commercial distribution practices. This prompted the formation of a Joint Task Group which initiated the DoD Food Inventory Demonstration (FID) Project. In March of 1994, a pilot program was instituted to test for one year the prime vendor concept for garrison feeding and ship support using one customer from each of the Services in the Tidewater, Virginia area. It was decided, based on preliminary results that the one year evaluation was not needed to “ roll out” the program.

Under the FID Project, contracts were awarded in October 1994 to 5 vendors to support all military installations in the states of Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Florida. As part of the initial project, it was decided that the Services would retain their unique Food Management System and that DSCP would develop the link needed to communicate with the vendor’s commercial software, the Service’s systems and DSCP’s computers. The means of communication developed was the Subsistence Prime Vendor Interpreter (SPVI).

HOW WE DO IT AT DSCP

DSCP is tasked and committed to having the entire country covered by prime vendor contracts with all our customers supported by commercial food distribution systems. To accomplish this task we are transitioning our resources from the traditional support area to various prime vendors teams. These teams consist of contracting personnel, business specialists and account representatives. They have the responsibility for awarding contracts for certain areas of the country. To roll out Prime Vendor across the country in the time frame allotted and to ensure a quality contract, the United States has been divided into 5 Regions: Northeast, Southeast, Central, Northwest, and Southwest. These regions are subdivided into zones. The number of customers in a zone depends on the commercial industry distribution network. Each customer in a zone must be able to receive a delivery within 48 hours after placing a order. DSCP will establish the best contract possible to support our customers.

There are numerous steps involved in the Acquisition Process and DSCP needs customer involvement in many of these steps. To briefly explain, we need to breakdown the process in specific steps:

Step I - Introduction & Requirements Gathering

— This initial step is one of the most important in the process. This step represents the foundation that supports the entire acquisition process and Prime Vendor program for your area. The process begins with a Prime Vendor Program introductory brief with key elements of your organization or base. The process is explained in detail and the program begins to take shape. A questionnaire is then provided to each ordering activity. This questionnaire expands the framework of the program and begins to tailor the program to meet your needs. The main element of the questionnaire involves the collection of accurate demand data. DSCP needs accurate information on the items used by your organization so your specific needs are identified. Upon receipt of this information, the formal solicitation package can be structured to include your unique ordering requirements.

Step II - Solicitation Preparation

— During the time our contract specialists are waiting for your data, they begin to prepare the formal solicitation that will meet all of the Federal Government’s laws and regulations dealing with the acquisition of Subsistence. The solicitation will employ state-of-art best value techniques assuring the customer of the best support available. The highly trained staff at DSCP utilizes the “lessons learned” approach as we roll the program across the United States. Solicitations are continuously modified and amended to take advantage of resolved problems as well as situations negotiated at industry forums.

When all information is received from our customers in the specific region or zone, the data is included in the solicitation package and released to a wide range of prospective offerors.

Step III - Solicitation

— This phase encompasses a minimum of 50 days for having the solicitation on the street and the Pre-proposal Conference. During this period, prospective offerors review the solicitation and contact the contracting officer to clarify contractual elements. The Pre-proposal Conference is held at one of the installations listed on the solicitation. At that time the Region Manager together with the contracting officer reviews all elements of the solicitation incorporating any questions from offerors that might have been submitted beforehand or at the conference. Based on the conference, an amendment is issued to all prospective offerors on the mailing list to assure all offerors are on equal footing.

Step IV - Evaluation

— A significant step is the Offer Evaluation where each vendor’s technical proposal is evaluated to identify strengths and weaknesses. A team of subject matter experts including representatives from the military services review separately the technical proposals submitted by each offeror in accordance with solicitation guidelines for Distribution/Delivery System/Location, Corporate Experience, Quality Program, Socioeconomic Considerations, Procurement/Pricing Plan, and Small & Disadvantaged Business Entrepreneurial Enhancement Development (SEED) Program. The technical proposal must demonstrate the offerors’ ability to meet the Government’s requirements as set forth in each specific solicitation. If necessary, site visits to offerors’ distribution warehouses are performed by the technical panel. Reevaluation of offers based on both revised business and technical proposals could result in the evaluation step taking a minimum of 60 days. We are committed to applying “Best Value” contracting as a means to select the overall best performers for timely delivery of quality products, while reducing the Government’s administrative costs.

Step V- Award and Post Award Conference

— After all approvals are received and the Congressional notification requirements are accomplished, the name of the successful awardee is announced. The Regional Manager for your area will approximately two weeks after award hold a Post Award Conference. The Post Award Conference provides an opportunity for all contractual parties to fine-tune the appropriate controls and method of operations built into the prime vendor contract. This conference is where all issues concerning the contract are presented and discussed. Communication here is imperative. Discussions on the structure and the execution of the contract will take place. Customers should attend to make sure they understand the various issues. These conferences are held at either the vendor’s facility or at one of the customer’s installation within the zone. This is where the customer/vendor partnership can take solid root.

At the first segment of the conference, a DSCP Representative will lead the discussion and explain the various terms and conditions of the contract. Some of the contracting issues that will be covered are:

management and socioeconomic reports, the Appropriations Act, and the implementation plan.

Ordering issues such as requisitioning, invoicing and receipt processing will be explained in detail.

During the second segment, the Vendor will lead the discussion covering such topics as product availability, quality, catalog and item substitution policies.

Step VI - Cataloging/Implementation

— After the Prime Vendor contract has been awarded and the Post Award Conference has been held, DSCP Representative will guide the various installations through the remaining steps of the Implementation Phase. In the time period between the date of award and effective date of the contract, usually 30 to 60 days, DSCP representatives will assist their customers in preparing for the start up of the contract.

A. Cataloging --A necessary process is the cataloging function. There are three major steps in the process:

1. Advance copy of a Baseline List of Items will be provided to each installation before the Post Award Conference is held. This listing is to be reviewed to make sure all of the items required by the installation are contained on the listing. This listing should be annotated with any additional items that the installation requires. NOTE: The installation will need this listing for the DSCP Cataloging Team and Vendor visit.

2. The DSCP Cataloging Team will go to the Vendor’s location to match the Baseline List of Item with the vendor’s item catalog. This is where the vendor’s item number and description is assigned to either a National Stock Number or a Local Stock Number (“E” Number).

3. The DSCP Cataloging Team with Representatives of the Vendor meet at the customer’s site to work on cross-referencing the vendor’s item catalog with the customer’s Master Item File to ensure the STORES catalog reflects a complete listing of the items you need. It is important to note any differences between the two. In particular, compare the item size (ounces, pounds, etc.), the quantity per case, types of containers (jars, cans, bags, etc.), and item descriptions.

If you have a specific type of food requirement for use on your food processing equipment, this need should be expressed to the vendor at this time so that the right item selection is made for the catalog.

Requests for new items to be added to the catalog can also be done at anytime during the contract period. It is important to remember an item must be on the STORES catalog before you can order it.

NEW CUSTOMER MASTER ITEM FILE + VENDOR ITEM FILE = STORES ORDERING CATALOG

(RECEIPE INGREDIENTS)

B. Implementation --During the final weeks before start up, DSCP will also be responsible for coordinating, between the vendor and the customer, the initial order, delivery and receipt of product through the STORES system. DSCP will assure that the partnership between the customer and the vendor has been well established and any outstanding issues are being resolved. In this same time period, hardware and software setup where required, will be scheduled. All necessary training will be provided prior to the official startup date of the implementation.

At all the steps involved in the implementation DSCP will have representatives available on site or in constant communication with our customers, to guide them through the initial processes under the prime vendor contracts.

CUSTOMER PREPARATION FOR PRIME VENDOR

In the months and weeks before your prime vendor contract is awarded and implemented, there are many issues that you, as a customer, should be considering. Up front preparation, in anticipation of prime vendor, will help to ease the transition to this type of subsistence support. You must look at how prime vendor will affect your organization and its operation. There will be functional and personnel decisions to be made. We will note, in this publication, some of the factors you will have to deal with before prime vendor support is implemented at your installation. Personnel in the Prime Vendor Section at DSCP can also assist you in your preparations for prime vendor. It would also be of enormous value to gain from the experiences of others, contact your counterparts at installations being supported by Prime Vendor contracts. The following are some questions to deal with before prime vendor arrives at your installations.

• What inventory levels will be maintained if the prime vendor will be providing 48 hour delivery? What am I going to do with my current inventory? What will my issue schedule be to phase in prime vendor?

• What about the milk, bread and ice cream contracts? Will the prime vendor support my requirements or will I continue to use DSCP Direct Vendor Delivery contracts?

• What do I do about my own base awarded contracts? Expiration dates should be carefully watched and extensions done if needed. These contracts should be expiring as prime vendor implements.

• What current local procedures and regulations will need to be updated?

• What current computer programs that support food operations will need to be modified or updated?

• What retraining of my current personnel resources will be required? Do we have personnel who have basic computer skills?

• How will I support my produce requirements? Will I get my fresh fruit and vegetables from the prime vendor or continue the support from the Defense Subsistence Offices and Terminal Market Offices.

• These are issues that must be addressed prior to implementation. You should be prepared to place your first order to your vendor during the implementation process. Again, you can contact DSCP prime vendor representatives for assistance in planning for prime vendor support.

QUALITY ASSURANCE

Performance and service becomes paramount in the Prime Vendor Program. To ensure that a very high level of product performance and distributor services are maintained, communication between food service managers, supporting Military Public Health/Veterinary Inspection activities,, distributors, DSCP account managers, and contracting officers is essential. Good communications will promote quality both in product and service by facilitating rapid identification and resolution of discrepancies.

Prime vendor contracts empower and encourage food service managers to actively participate in selecting commercial items at the right quality level from the vendor’s catalog that will meet their requirements. DSCP account managers and contracting officers will provide problem resolution for those issues that cannot be solved locally. It becomes extremely important for food service managers to report discrepancies in both items and services to DSCP. Reporting discrepancies will be discussed in greater detail later in this section.

The following topics are discussed in an effort to prepare for implementation and provide you with an understanding of the program and your responsibilities. A DSCP representative will again discuss these topics at the post award conference and/or during implementation.

Acceptance of Supplies will be at your activities dining facilities or at the delivery points you have chosen within your installation.

Acceptance Authority is assigned to the ordering activity. Each activity is responsible for accepting or rejecting supplies as they are received. The receiving official is the final authority on acceptance or rejection of product. The ordering activity shall designate, in writing, those individuals authorized to accept or reject supplies delivered under the Subsistence Prime Vendor Program.

Receiving of Supplies: Each ordering activity is responsible for the receipt of supplies. Tally -in for quantity, count, and verification that products receipted match those ordered will be accomplished at time of receipt so that the contractor’s delivery ticket may be annotated with any discrepancies to assure the government pays for only those products which were actually ordered and received.

Applicable military service regulations or receiving procedures shall be used. It is recommended that a copy of your order be printed from the SPVI and used to check in receipts.

Invoices shall reflect only items/quantities accepted by the receiving official and must be signed by the receiving official. A copy of the invoice, signed by the receiving official, will be filed and maintained for each receipt.

Inspection of Supplies: Acquisition Agency Requirements The contract quality assurance responsibility is assigned to DSCP-HFVN, Subsistence Prime Vendor Branch, Directorate of Subsistence.

Day to day quality assurance activities are the responsibility of the ordering activity. At many ordering activities the receiving official is the government’s first line quality assurance representative and the final authority for accepting or rejecting products. Products where health factors, such as suspected unwholesomeness are concerned, will not be accepted without the concurrence of the responsible Military Public Health/Veterinary Inspection authority.

Where Military Medical activities are supporting the ordering activities receipt inspection of multiple-line commercial products, medical receipt inspection should focus primarily on examination for wholesomeness and sanitary approved sources, consistent with the direction of the responsible Military Public Health/Veterinary Inspection authority.

When destination inspection at time of delivery is unreasonably difficult or will unduly delay delivery conveyances, a system for spot-checking may be employed, consistent with the direction of the responsible Medical Public Health/Veterinary Inspection authority. Delivery conveyances will not be unduly delayed for the purpose of performing a receipt inspection.

Military Public Health/Veterinary Inspection Support Military Public Health/Veterinary inspectors inspection personnel responsible for the food programs in your area will develop a product verification program which ensures the quality of the subsistence items delivered to your facility meets the quality of the product you ordered. This program will include cursory spot checks, specific product audits, and special audits directed by DSCP or at your request. They will be available for training your personnel in evaluating products at receipt, sanitation, and in specific commodity knowledge. Military Public Health/Veterinary inspectors should be consulted should quality or safety question concerning the product arise at time of delivery, during storage or preparation.

Discrepancies A: When discrepancies are detected upon receipt, the distributor’s invoice will be annotated to indicate actual quantities received by striking through the listed quantity and entering the received quantity and reasons for the differences (i.e. damaged, short quantity, missing, substitution, high temperature, etc.). The individual making the change should initial all corrections to the distributor’s invoice. The carrier’s representative should sign the invoice when such corrections are made.

The food service managers should determine if same day redelivery /replacement of the discrepant product is required to fill the (short term) food service requirements or if the discrepant product can be reordered and delivered during the next scheduled delivery. When same day replacement is required, the food service manager should notify the distributor immediately in order for scheduling to be arranged for timely delivery. These redeliveries of discrepant product will not be counted as the no-charge emergency orders and can be made on an unlimited basis.

B: When discrepancies are detected after receipt confirmation, the Receiving Individual may:

Option 1 Phone the distributor’s customer representative to request a one for one replacement for the discrepant quantity. This is the preferred method of resolution.

Option 2 When option one does not resolve the discrepancy or replacement is not desired complete a Standard Form 364 “Report of Discrepancy”, attach the vendor’s credit memo for the returned product, and mail to the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia. Attn.: DSCP-HS (CDCFP), 700 Robbins Avenue, Philadelphia, PA. 19111.

NOTE: IN ORDER TO BE CREDITED FOR ANY DISCREPANCY DETECTED AFTER

RECEIPT DOCUMENTATION HAS BEEN FORWARDED TO DSCP, AND THE

DISTRIBUTOR HAS NOT PROVIDED A ONE FOR ONE REPLACEMENT, A REPORT OF

DISCREPANCY MUST BE COMPLETED TO ADJUST YOUR BILL.

Reporting In order to ensure that a very high level of product quality and distributor performance is maintained in the prime vendor, program food service managers will ensure that any problems with delivery service or product quality are immediately reported to the prime vendors’ customer service representative and the DSCP account representative.

A. Weekly summary report for delivery discrepancies, or compiled daily reports of quality assurance actions and cataloging discrepancies pertaining to both performance and service, shall be maintained for each destination summarizing late deliveries, rejections, short shipments, missing items, incorrect items, service discrepancies, unsatisfactorily performing items, cataloging discrepancies, etc. The report shall be compiled and faxed to DSCP-HFVN(DSN:444-3684 or 215-737-3684) at least weekly.

It is important to note that product turnover is quite rapid in the commercial sector and reporting discrepancies in a timely manner will facilitate corrective actions.

The intent of this summary report is not to duplicate any reporting efforts. This is merely to provide an avenue of consistent data communication to enhance problem resolution. In those instances where problems are documented and faxed to the DSCP account manager, summary reports are not necessary.

OR

For those activities that are supported by Military Public Health/Veterinary Inspectors, the food service manager may elect to electronically transmit a weekly summary report of delivery discrepancies to DSCP by the military Medical Public Health/Veterinary inspectors. This report will be forwarded to DSCP-HFVN through the automated prime vendor data management system.

Food service managers will collect information on late deliveries, product rejections, short shipments, missing items, service discrepancies, product performance problems and provide this informaton to the Medical Public Health/Veterinary Inspector for transmission to DSCP.

B. When products are rejected at time of receipt for medical inspection reasons,a copy of the Medical Public Health/Veterinary Inspector’s inspection report shall be faxed to DSCP-HFVN (DSN: 444-3684 or 215-737-3684) with a copy of the corresponding invoice.

C. When products are rejected after receipt for medical inspection reasons, a copy of the Military Public Health/Veterinary Inspector’s inspection report shall be attached to the SF 364 and mailed to DSCP-HS(CDCFP).

Product Quality Evaluation Program This program is a consumer level product evaluation of commercial products that are purchased under the prime vendor program. The objective of the program is to ensure that a very high level of product performance is maintained by verifying that the products receipted perform during preparation, serving, are of a satisfactory quality level, and there is no economic fraud, product misrepresentation, or unauthorized product substitution occurring. The program utilizes auditing techniques and a dual approach of item selection and product verification that combines or harmonizes the expertise of DSCP personnel, Food Service managers and operators, and Military Public Health/Veterinary inspection personnel in the evaluation of products. The product evaluations are performed at minimal frequencies required to safeguard the government’s interests.

The DSCP Product Quality Evaluation Manager manages the program and will randomly select two items to eight items per installation per month for evaluation. Installation Food Service Managers can select additional items if desired and will coordinate the performance of the program at the installation.

Military Public Health/Veterinary Inspection personnel will conduct the technical inspections.

Normally, product inspections will be performed on-site at the dining facilities with minimal interruption of dining facility activities.

Detailed program procedures are provided to the installation food service managers and Military Public Health/Veterinary Inspection personnel during implementation of the prime vendor program at their installation.

COMMUNICATION

Throughout this document the words communication or communicate are used numerous times. The hope is that the words PRIME VENDOR and COMMUNICATION will become synonymous. The Prime Vendor Program must be discussed, reviewed and explained if it is to evolve into the Department of Defense’s commercial food distribution system.

All successful projects or programs rely on open communication among all the participants involved.

If prime vendor is to not only succeed, but also become the best way to support the Military’s food requirements, there must be a continual flow of information. The Prime Vendor Program’s participants must form a partnership with a free exchange of ideas and data.

Relationships are the energized conduits for information. Seek to develop strong business relationships among the group: Vendor / DSCP / Customer. Group dynamics can motivate action to resolve the problems and improve the process. Meetings between contractor representatives and customers should start as soon as possible after the contract is awarded. These should be working level meetings. Topics discussed should be issues of concern to both parties. Problems involving contractor performance, delivery scheduling, availability, new items, quality issues and out-of-the-norm requirements should be communicated at these meetings. Issues that cannot be resolved should be brought to the attention of DSCP by either the customer or the vendor. DSCP will take the lead in mediating and seeking solutions to the problems. This type of regular communication will help foster the concept of a partnership between the customer, the vendor and DSCP. In the beginning it might be necessary to hold meetings as often as once a week in order to ensure that the start-up phase of the prime vendor contract goes smoothly. After the initial phase of the contract, regularly scheduled meetings should be held at least quarterly between a contractor representative and the customer.

Customer Communication Responsibilities Customers must communicate to DSCP specific needs, wants, desires and wishes. They must detail what is unique to their operation and how they want their support tailored. You must communicate to the vendor any special requests or “out of the norm” requirements, such as, large ship loadouts, scheduled or anticipated field exercises, etc. Any order where the quantities are going to be much larger than your normal order must be communicated to the vendor. Depending on the number of times you are ordering each week, there should be almost daily, or not less than twice a week, communication between contractor and customer.

Problems you experience in dealing with your vendor should be reported to DSCP for resolution, if your attempts at settlement with the vendor fails. The way to solve a problem is to first identify the problem to all concerned parties. Resolution comes through communication and negotiation. It is the responsibility of you, the customer, to provide status to the DSCP Account Managers, whether formally or informally, on all aspects of your prime vendor support. It is imperative that you bring any unresolved problem to your Account Managers immediately. Communicate information on the vendor’s performance, both good and bad. This data will assist in the award evaluation process for option years and for future awards. Communication assures one-stop shopping, broad product range and tailored deliveries.

Vendor Communication Responsibilities The vendor must freely communicate with the DSCP Representatives and with the customer during all phases of the Prime Vendor Process. From questions on the solicitation to questions about delivery routes, all aspects must be discussed. The vendor must know exactly what the customer wants and the only way to do this is through open dialog. It is the prime vendor’s responsibility to communicate his terms and conditions to not only DSCP, but also to his customer. He must express to what extent he can be flexible in providing his service to the customer. The Contractor Representative must be accessible to the customer and the vendor’s customer service should be no more than a phone call away. Vendors should be aware that these customers will be going through the experience of learning a new food ordering system. There is a learning curve for each customer and the vendor and DSCP must provide the customer all that is needed to make the experience positive and painless. Vendors should communicate with their government accounts the same as they do with their commercial accounts, be it through newsletters, food shows or personal visits. These government customers are entitled to the same level of service you give to your best accounts. Customer service is communication.

DSCP Communication Responsibilities DSCP’s responsibilities for communication are the most important for the success of the Prime Vendor Project. We are responsible for explaining the Program to our customers and for identifying the customer’s requirements. DSCP is tasked with developing solicitations that communicate the exact requirements and requests of our customers. It is imperative that DSCP keep the customer informed during all phases of the process: requirements gathering, solicitation development, pre-proposal conferences, offer evaluation and negotiation, contract award, post-award conferences, implementation and operational execution of the contract. DSCP is the hub of the communication network between the Vendors, the Customers and the Service Headquarters. In this role we are the communications director and monitor. It is our responsibility to ensure that the flow of information is kept current and constant.

DSCP must act as the customers advocate in communicating with the vendors after award. We must be available to mediate disputes that cannot be resolved at the customer and vendor level. We must assure our customers that we will require the vendors to adhere to the conditions and terms of the contract.

The Prime Vendor Program affords us a chance to provide top shelf customer service.

Communication through customer service during the life of the contract is the most meaningful service we can provide our customers. Customer Service, during and especially after implementation must be the number one priority of the prime vendor initiative. We are turning from the direction of providing food to our customers to the direction of providing pure contracting and customer services. Our customer service must consist of high-level problem solvers who are customer-oriented and organizationally and functionally knowledgeable.

WHAT IS STORES?

STORES NT stands for Subsistence Total Order and Receipt Electronic System for Windows NT It was designed to automate all installation-level subsistence ordering and receipting for Department of Defense food customers. The system can support many catalogs i.e. prime vendor, milk, dairy, bread and fresh fruits & vegetable. One of the major goals of STORES ordering is that you, the customer, will have the opportunity to receive your food products with 48 hours after the order has been placed.

Throughout this section you will often see the terms STORES MIS and STORES LAP. STORES MIS refers to the Management Information System at DSCP. The STORES LAP refers to the local access point; that is, the STORES computer at your location.

How Does STORES Work?

DSCP personnel will work with each customer prior to implementation to set up the STORES computer with customer information and catalog data. STORES is then ready for processing. For the most part you will order through your current system. Then, via options in STORES, you will transfer that order from your system into STORES. The STORES will reformat and interpret the data, and upon your action, the order will be electronically transmitted to both the vendor and DSCP via the Defense Automatic Addressing System Center (DAASC). All the transmissions are in ASCII X12 EDI (electronic data interchange) formats. For information on the details of the EDI X12 contact the DSCP Philadelphia Help Desk. The role of DAASC is that of a mailbox. You place your order, DAASC separates your order by contract number and puts it in the proper mailbox for the vendor to pick up. Depending upon your local base policy you will enter the receipts either directly into STORES or into your current military service system. After transferring your receipts from your current system to STORES, you will then transmit the receipt data electronically via DAASC to

DSCP.

CATALOG

Review of all catalogs that will be on the STORES computer is critical for a smooth entry into the prime vendor program. It is important to compare the Master Item Catalog you are currently using the numerous vendor catalogs for your zone. Prior to installing STORES at your site, DSCP personnel will review the catalogs with you.

Remember – Catalog updates should be performed first thing on every Monday, or on the day previously arranged by DSCP.

Questions and Answers Pertaining to the Catalog

How do I receive a catalog after the implementation?

Your STORES computer must be on for the catalog data to be updated. With your computer turned on:

• Select Catalog on the main STORES menu screen.

• Select Receive & Apply Updates Now

• The STORES Data Transfer screen will appear.

• Click Start on the Data Transfer Screen.

• Click Done after all EDI files have been transferred and the status bar shows complete.

STORES now automatically applies the updated items to the active catalog.

How can I tell if there are any updates to the catalog?

To print the items which have been updated:

• Select Report on the main STORES menu screen.

• Select Latest Catalog Update Report.

A report of the catalog updates can then be printed. This makes it easy for you to know what is changing.

To view the items which have been updated :

• Select Catalog on the main STORES menu screen.

• Select Search and View.

• In the middle of the screen under List of Active Catalog Items, right arrow to catalog date column and click on heading. List will sort by Catalog Date from the oldest date to the newest date. You can use the right scroll down bar to get to the newest date. OR

After you select Search and View, make sure the top left side of the catalog screen reflects Catalog Date in the Filter Catalog List By box and an exact date is entered for the filter box on the top right side. Format for date is m/dd/yy. Click on filter.

How do the catalog updates get into both my current system and into the

STORES?

In the event an active catalog needs to be exported from STORES to a service food management system:

• Select Feeder System.

• Select Import/Export Interface.

This will produce a file in ASCII format identical to your STORES catalog. For exact guidance on updating your service systems refer to your local base operating procedures.

What’s on the catalog?

The STORES catalog screen displays all the items, you our customer, has selected. Some of the elements the STORES catalog will display are the vendor name, contract number DSCP stock number; vendor part number; DSCP price; descriptions; size; units per pack. From this display you know the specifics of the product including the cost.

In the event you have any questions regarding the catalog (inaccurate descriptions, incorrect prices, items not displaying on the catalog, etc.), contact your DSCP Account Manager.

Who updates/changes the catalog? How often is the catalog updated?

The catalog is updated directly by DSCP and indirectly by the vendor. The vendor may indirectly update the catalog on a weekly basis (CONUS) and every other week (OCONUS) usually to change prices, but also to add or delete items. To process a change, the vendor will electronically transmit the change to the DSCP STORES MIS (Management Information System). Catalog updated are place in LAP Mailboxes at DAASC on Sundays, and these catalog updates are available for download by the customer LAPs on Sunday evening. The vendor prices remain in effect for a week in CONUS and 2 weeks in OCONUS. The vendor is not required to make a weekly price update.

How many catalogs are there?

There is one catalog for the customer to view. It contains prime vendor items, market ready items, soda items and fresh fruit & vegetables items. Once a customer selects items to be ordered, STORES will sort the items by contract number and send the orders to the correct vendor.

The catalog will display only items that your vendors have agreed to supply based on previous catalog meetings. However, be aware that even though the vendor will supply these displayed items there may be times when you order that a particular vendor does not have all the items on their order available.

In the event the vendor can not fill the entire order, you are to notify your DSCP account manager who is keeping note of the number of “not in stock” items.

What should I do when an item I want to order isn’t on the STORES catalog?

When this situation arises (the item does not appear on your STORES catalog screen display) refer to your local base procedures. It’s possible that the vendor can supply the item but your local command or service headquarters prohibits ordering that particular item. When the local command/service headquarters gives approval for purchasing the item, contact your vendor and DSCP Account Manager. Determine if your vendor can supply the item. In the event the vendor can supply the item, the customer with the assistance of the DSCP Account Manager should review the Local Stock Number Catalog (a new edition will be issued every quarter) to see if a stock number has been already assigned for the item. Next, the DSCP Account Manager should contact the vendor to have the item established on the DSCP catalog. If an item requires a new stock number be established, a Prime Vendor Local Stock Number Request Form must be completed and sent to the DSCP Account Manager. These forms will be given to you by your account manager at time of implementation and upon request. The account manager will notify the vendor when the item has been added to the DSCP General or NAPA catalog. The vendor will then link their data and the item will be included on the STORES catalog screen display after you have updated the catalog. The DSCP Account Manager is responsible for advising you when the update to the DSCP catalog will occur.

What should I do when the catalog elements are not correct?

When the STORES catalog data elements, such as price, units per purchase pack, etc., are not correct you are to notify your DSCP account manager. They will take the corrective action.

ORDERING

The ordering process is rather straightforward. STORES was designed so the user will experience a minimal amount of change to their current operations. With this in mind the STORES ordering process was designed so the Local Access Point (LAP) user, can place orders in your current system (be it AFMIS, SIMS, etc.) and transfer the data into STORES. The STORES will interpret, translate, and format your order into an acceptable MILSTRIP-like EDI transaction. This EDI transaction is then sent to the vendor and DSCP.

Questions and Answers Pertaining to Orders

What can I order?

The answer depends on the source of your ordering:

(1) When ordering through a current service system (ex. AFMIS) you may order any item on your current service system. The order is passed to the STORES LAP where the item is cross-referenced to the correct vendor catalog. Based on the type of item, the product will be supplied by the prime vendor, market ready vendor, or DSO.

(2) When ordering directly from the STORES Customer Access Facility (CAF) you may order any of the items that display on the CAF catalog. Based on the type of item, the product will be supplied by the prime vendor, market ready vendor, or DSO.

How often can I order?

The STORES System does not limit the number of orders you place in any given day.

Keep in mind that your vendor develops work patterns based on your ordering. If you should deviate from your normal ordering pattern — for example, an addition to your normal order — it would be courteous to call your vendor and make him aware of the change as quickly as possible.

How do I order?

When you are ordering directly on the STORES (not through a current service system):

• Select Order on the main STORES menu screen.

• Select Create & Modify Orders.

• Select New Orders

• Click on RDD. Select a Required Deliver Date from the calendar shown. Then click on Accept.

• Click on Ship To then double click on the Milstrip Profile for which you wish to place your order.

• Click on Add Items then select the catalog items you wish to order:

• To Add Items from the Current Catalog:

Click the catalog button at the right side of the screen. To add a selected item, highlight the item you wish to add and click Add Item. Then the quantity screen is displayed, enter the correct quantity and click OK. STORES will tell you that the item has been added. Continue until you are finished, then Click Done.

• To Add Items from an Existing Order Template (Only CAF users may utilize order templates – templates are not transferable to service food ordering systems.)

Click the Template button at the right side of the screen. Click on the Name of the Template you wish to add then click the Add Template button. STORES will tell you that the template has been added. You can add more than one template to an order. Continue until you are finished, then Click Done.

• To Add Items Using Quick Entry.

Click the Quick Entry Button at the right side of the screen. Enter the stock number in the space provided. Then enter the quantity in the space provided.

Click the Add Item to Order button to add the item to the active order.

Repeat the process until you have all the line items you need on your order, then Click Done.

When you are importing your order from a service system:

• Select Feeder System from the STORES main menu and then select Import/Export Interface.

• Click on Order. Double click on the order(s) you wish to import. Click on Done when the process is complete.

Can I change an order?

You can change an order until the order has been released in STORES. Once released, the order cannot be changed.

To change your order at the header level:

• Select Order on the main STORES menu screen. Then select Create & Modify Orders.

• Click the Review Orders Tab. Click on the correct purchase order. Purchase Order Line will then be highlighted.

• Right Mouse Click to view options (View Detail, Change RDD, Delete Order, Approve, Hold and Void) that can be changed at the total order level. Click on proper option and make change.

• Click on Done when you are finished editing your order.

To change your order at the line level:

• Select Order on the main STORES menu screen. Then select Create & Modify Orders.

• Click the Review Orders Tab and Click on the correct purchase order. Line will then be highlighted.

• Click on the Order Details Tab. Then Click on the line of the order you wish to modify.

The line should be highlighted.

• Right Mouse Click to view options (delete item, change quantity and view summary) that can be changed at the line level. Click on proper option and make change.

• Click on Done when you are finished editing your order.

How can I add an item to my order before sending it?

• Select Order on the main STORES menu screen. Then select Create & Modify Orders.

• Click the Review Orders Tab and Click on the correct purchase order. Purchase Order Line will then be highlighted.

• Click on the Order Details Tab. Click the “Catalog” button at the top right hand side of the screen.

• The current Catalog screen is displayed.

• Double click on the item you want to add. STORES will then display the Enter Quantity screen.

• Enter the correct quantity and click OK. The item is added. Click on Done when you are finished editing your order.

What is an Order Template?

Order templates are sets of items commonly ordered from a LAP. Templates may contain items from multiple vendors. Only CAF users may utilize order templates.

How can I create an Order Template?

• Select Orders on the main STORES menu screen. Select Create Order Template.

• The system will show the Order Template Maintenance dialog box with order template information. Click on the New Template button at the bottom left portion of the screen.

• A dialog box will appear in the top portion of the active window. Enter the name of the template you wish to create.

• Click on the Save button to the right of the field containing the name of the new template.

• Select Cancel to return without saving, or after saving, to return to the Order Template Maintenance screen.

• Select Add Items. Catalogue appears. Highlight item you want to add to Template.

Click on Add Item. The quantity box will appear, fill in the quantity and press OK.

Repeat this process for each item to be added to a template. Click the Done button on this screen when you have completed adding items.

How do I edit the quantity of an existing item on an Order Template?

• Select Orders on the main STORES menu screen. Select Create Order Template.

• Select the name of the template you wish to modify and click on the Template Items button. The template items dialog box will be displayed.

• Select the item to be modified and press the Edit Quantity button on the Edit Template Items screen.

• The Item Quantity Input screen will be displayed. Enter the correct quantity and press

OK.

• Click the Done button on this screen when you have completed modifying.

How do I delete an existing item on an Order Template?

• Select Orders on the main STORES menu screen. Select Create Order Template.

• Select the name of the template you wish to modify and click on the Template Items button. The template items dialog box will be displayed.

• Select the item to be deleted and select the Delete Item button on the Edit Template Items screen.

• STORES will ask if you are sure you want to delete the selected item. Click Yes.

• Click the Done button on this screen when you have completed deleting items.

The above delete and modify processes will make a permanent change to the template. If you only want to make a change for a specific order, you should add your template to your purchase order and then modify that purchase order only.

How do I transmit an order?

• Select Transmit on the main STORES menu screen. Select Orders/Receipts to send.

• Click on the Select Orders to send tab.

• Review & Approve the orders to send. Note: Orders must be in Approved status before you can release. Orders in a Hold status can be edited but cannot be released.

• Click Send.

• When the Data Transfer screen appears, click Start.

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