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Purchasing and Inventory

Efficient laboratory operations require effective purchasing and inventory management to ensure the availability of reagents and supplies, which is critical for clinical care and public health. Key components for success include vendor qualifications, inventory tracking, and monitoring expiration dates, while challenges involve balancing stock levels with expiration timelines. Implementing a computerized inventory management system can enhance tracking and planning, though it may require significant investment and staff training.

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Glyde Hope Pajaron
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23 views3 pages

Purchasing and Inventory

Efficient laboratory operations require effective purchasing and inventory management to ensure the availability of reagents and supplies, which is critical for clinical care and public health. Key components for success include vendor qualifications, inventory tracking, and monitoring expiration dates, while challenges involve balancing stock levels with expiration timelines. Implementing a computerized inventory management system can enhance tracking and planning, though it may require significant investment and staff training.

Uploaded by

Glyde Hope Pajaron
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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PURCHASING AND INVENTORY

Efficient and cost-effective laboratory operations need the uninterrupted availability of reagents, supplies and services.
Inability to test, even for a short time, is very disruptive to clinical care, prevention activities and public health
programmes.

BENEFITS
 Supplies and reagents are always available when needed
 High-quality reagents are obtained at an appropriate cost
 Reagents and supplies are not lost due to improper storage, or kept and used beyond expiration

CHALLENGES
 The challenge of inventory management is balancing the availability of supplies and reagents in stocks with their
expiration dates. The lifespan of reagents can vary from a few weeks to a number of years. It is important to
continuously monitor the expiration dates to make sure needed reagents are always on hand and have not
expired.

KEY COMPONENTS FOR SUCCESSFUL PURCHASING AND INVENTORY MANAGEMENT


 Vendor/manufacturer qualifications
 Purchase agreements
 Receiving, inspecting, testing, storing, and handling of materials- all purchased material should be inspected and
appropriately tested to ensure that specifications are met and policies should be established for sorting and
handling materials as they are delivered to the laboratory
 Tracking materials to individual patients- the management system must allow for tracking materials to individual
patients
 Assessing and maintaining inventory
 Controlling expiration periods
 Dispatching supplies to satellite laboratories

SELECTING VENDORS
 Define criteria for supplies or materials to be purchased
 Look for the best price, taking into account the qualifications and credibility of the supplier
 Consider the advantages and disadvantages of purchasing “brand name” compared to “generic” products

CONSIDERATIONS WHEN PURCHASING


 Understand any local or national government requirements that need to be accommodated in the contracts.
 Negotiate for the best price without undermining quality
 Carefully review all contracts to make sure the laboratory’s requirements are being met. Contracts should clearly
address payment mechanisms and provisions to assure reliable availability and delivery of reagents and supplies.
Ask if there are penalties for ending a contract.
 Determine how payments will be made and how the vendor will assure reliable availability and delivery of
supplies and reagents.

THE FOLLOWING ARE THE IMPORTANT STEPS FOR IMPLEMENTATION FOR MONITORING THE CONDITION OF THE
SUPPLIES
 Assign responsibility
 Analyse the needs of the laboratory
 Establish the minimum stock needed for an appropriate time period
 Develop needed forms and logs
 Establish a system for receiving, inspecting and storing supplies
 Maintain an inventory system in all storage areas, and for all reagents and supplies used in the laboratory
QUANTIFICATION
- Is a very important process that can help calculate how much is required of any particular item for a given period
of time, and it is essential part of a successful inventory management programme. Accurate quantification will:

1. Ensure essential supplies will be available when needed


2. Prevent overstocking, which can lead to wastage of expensive materials.

Quantification provides information for:


1. Estimating annual budget requirements
2. Allowing for better planning
3. Making decisions and monitoring performance of the inventory management system

CONSUMPTION-BASED QUANTIFICATION
- Laboratories most frequently use the consumption-based method, drawing on their experience over time. This
method is based on actual consumption, so there are number of factors to consider

MORBIDITY-BASED QUANTIFICATION
- The laboratory must take into account the actual number of episodes, illnesses and health problems that require
laboratory testing.

DEVELOPING FORMS AND LOGS


 Standardized forms
 Card systems
 Logbooks

1. Date reagent or set of supplies are received


2. Lot numbers for all supplies, reagents and kits
3. Pass or fail acceptance criteria
4. Date the lot number or box of supplies was put into service or if not usable, the date and
method of disposition

LOGBOOK
 Name and signature of the person receiving the materials
 Date of receipt
 Expiration date
 Quantity of the material received
 Minimum stock that should be on hand current stock balance
 Shelf number or name
 Destination

RECEIVING AND INSPECTING SUPPLIES


 Sign their name verifying receipt of goods
 Date each item received
 Note the expiration date
 Store new shipment behind existing shipment
 Create or update logbooks records

STORAGE
 Keep the storeroom clean, organized and locked to protect inventory
 Make sure storage areas are well ventilated and protected from direct sunlight.
 Ensure storage conditions are in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, paying particular attention to
any temperature requirements or other specifications, such as safety requirements.
 Use good shelving strong enough to support the items and organize items carefully on the shelves to prevent
movement shifts or falls.
 Ensure items are accessible to staff. Sturdy steps stools should be available for reaching higher shelves and
heavier items should be stored on lower shelves.
 When storing, put the new shipment behind existing materials that are already in the laboratory

ORGANIZATION OF SHELVES
 Assign a number to different areas of the shelves
 Record in the logbook what shelves are used for which reagents and supplies

LABELING THE REAGENTS


 It is important to label reagents with the date they are opened and to make sure the expiration date is clearly
visible

CONTINUOUS MONITORING OF INVENTORY


 Assign the responsibility for the task to an appropriate person
 Be sure that all supplies and reagents in laboratory are covered by the system and maintain inventory
management in all of the storage areas
 Conduct weekly physical counts of reagents and supplies in order to check the system and as a part of the
monitoring process
 Make sure that all records relevant to inventory management are updated and maintained.

COMPUTERIZED INVENTORY MANAGEMENT ADVANTAGES AND DRAWBACKS

ADVANTAGES
 Keep track of the exact number of supplies and reagents on hand as it can be updated daily
 Allow for good management of expiration dates
 Generate statistics that will help when planning and making purchases
 Help manage the process for distributing reagents to satellite laboratories
 Ease burden of inventory management

DISADVANTAGES
 An on-site computer is needed and could be expensive to purchase
 Staff using the system will need to be trained

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