Memo

From: Francois Damba

Date: 27 November 2023

RE: UNIT 3 – TASK 8 - PREPARING SPECIFICATIONS

To be able to purchase goods or services, we need to have a clear description of what the
customer is wanting. The specification can then be used to tell a supplier what it is we want
to purchase, and what we want them to supply. Therefore, it is important to have correct,
accurate specifications.

You have been asked to attend a meeting to help develop the specifications for new hygiene
kits. These specifications will then be sent out to potential suppliers.

1. Prepare for this meeting

The first step for preparing for the meeting will be by sending an e-mail to the
concerned staff in the program inviting them to the meeting . To this end , the
following points will be included in the meeting invitation e-mail :

- Date and time of the meeting .

- Location of the meeting such as referring to the meeting room .
- Pointing out to the purpose of the meeting .
- Determining the following points to be the pivot of discussion :

 Specifying the exact need of the goods that should be determined by

the programme staff.
 Providing adequate information and clear specifications and quantities
of the required goods by the programme staff and in cooperation with
the logistics or the procurement staff particularly in relation to the goods
specifications .
 Specifying initially the time required for delivering the required goods
for the purpose determining the suitable time for preparing the
specifications by the programme and logistics or procurement staff .

© 2017 Logistics Learning Alliance Ltd – ‘Supply Chain Improvement through Learning’
  Preparing a list of the available supplies and the relevant qualified
suppliers by the logistics or procurement staff as per the inputs
received from the program staff .
 Presenting the importance of the programme and specifying the
targeted community by the programme staff .
 Surveying the local and global market for the price assessment of the
required goods that should be carried out by the logistics or
procurement staff.
 Specifying the feasible sources that should be determined by the
logistics or procurement staff .
 Supporting the programme staff by providing them with cost estimation
of the required goods .
 Determining the correct method of purchasing as per the total cost of
the required goods .
 Specifying the timelines of carrying out the agreed on tasks mentioned
above by both the programme and logistics or procurement staff for the
purpose of starting in the implementation of the procurement process .

2. What type of information do you want to ensure is in the specification?

For the procurement process to be feasible and successful, the logistics or

procurement staff will need the following information to be in the specifications
of the hygiene kits :
- Clear description of the required hygiene kits and the required quality.

- Contents list of the hygiene kits approved by the programme staff in concern .

- Weight, size and capacity of the each hygiene kit .

- The required and preferred packaging and packing .

- Specifications of the contents items individually .

- Preferred names and brands or manufacturer of the items contented in

each hygiene kits .

- Conditions of transportation and storage of the hygiene kits .

The criteria of the product specifications can be ranked as per the design,
performance , and other commercial specifications . In our context, the above
criteria of the hygiene kits specifications can be ranked as per the following
hypothetical schedule:

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 Brand Total
# Item name Unit NO QTY Specifications Description
Weights, sizes and other details about each
item or brand name will be mentioned at this
1 space
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Preferred A carry bag in soft (if possible waterproof) material with zip lock or Velcro, no long strings/
packing cords, with a small logo imprint (1 colour) as per the image enclosed .

Ranking the specifications as per the schedule above is very important for both
the organization and the supplier . For the organization , it is important to be able
to evaluate the supplier precisely and fairly , and for the supplier , to be able to
submit the right price and the right goods with the right specifications and the
right quantities .

3. What questions will you ask at the meeting?

Actually , the clear and accurate information received from the programme staff
regarding the specifications , the estimated cost of the required goods , the
delivery place and time , the preferred options of packaging , the visibility of the
organization and the donor names , the exact quantities of the required goods…
etc , will help the logistics or procurement staff to purchase the right goods in the
right quantities at the right price in the right location and delivered to the right
place . Therefore, the following questions should be asked during the meeting :

 What are the exact specifications and quantities of the required goods ?

 What are the exact items you need to be in the hygiene kits and are
there preferred names , brands and manufactures of the items
contented in the hygiene kits ?

 Is the list of content of the hygiene kits approved by the health officers
or managers and in line with the with the approved content by the wash
cluster ?

 Do you have specific cost estimation for each hygiene kits and for the
totally required quantities of the required hygiene kits or you need us in

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 the logistics to make a market pricing survey to help you prepare the
cost estimation for purchasing such quantities of the kits ?

 Do you have specific location for delivering the hygiene kits to and to be
included in the RFQ or in the ITB documents?

 Do you have preferred and desirable packaging ?

 Is the visibility of SCILaid and the donors allowed or required to be on

the packaging of each hygiene kit ?

 Are there any specifications asked by the donor(s)

Regards

Francois

To answer this task, you will find the following learning material section helpful:

3.4. The Procurement Process

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