nonstandard material and emergency items. In thissection, we will cover supply levels, supply levelterminology, requisition, requisition documents,purchase procedures, and the Uniform MaterialMovement and Issue Priority System (UMMIPS).LEVELS OF SUPPLYThere must be some control over the level orquantity of supplies kept by medical departments.Without controls, policy changes or poor orderingprocedures may result in some items being in shortsupply, while other items are stockpiled in quantitiesthat would not be consumed for several years. To avoidsuch occurrences, it is necessary to develop rulesgoverning stock levels.Supply Level TerminologySupply levels may be expressed in one of twoways: in numerical terms and in terms of months ofusage. Numerical is expressed as the total amount ofsupplies on hand.Months of usage is the mostcommonly used measurement of supply levels. It is thebest method to use in accounting for the amount ofitems that are used on a monthly basis. In expressingthe supply level of any stock item, four measurementsmay be used: operating level, safety level, storageobjective, and requisitioning objective.OPERATING LEVEL.—This measurementindicates the quantity of an item that is required tosustain operations during the interval betweenrequisitions or the receipt of scheduled successiveshipments of supplies. The operating level should bebased upon the length of the replenishment cycle. Forexample, if requisitions are submitted every 2 months,the operating level would be the quantity of the itemthat is consumed every 2 months. This level will varyfor different items.SAFETY LEVEL.—This measurement indicatesthe quantity of an item, over and above the operatinglevel, that should be maintained to ensure thatoperations will continue if replenishment supplies arenot received on time, or if there is an unpredictablyheavy demand for supplies. This measurement simplyprovides a margin of safety.STOCKAGE OBJECTIVE.—This measure-ment indicates the minimum quantity of a stock itemthat is required to support current operations. It is thesum of the operating level and the safety level. Forexample, if the operating level of an item is 80 unitsand the safety level is 20 units, the stockage objectivewould be to maintain 100 units of that item in stock atall times.REQUISITIONING OBJECTIVE.—Thismeasurement indicates the maximum quantity of astock item that should be kept on hand and on order tosupport operations. It is the sum of the operating andsafety levels and the quantity of an item that will beconsumed in the interval between the submission of arequisition and the arrival of the supplies. Figure 13-1illustrates the relationship between the various levelsof supply.Usage DataThe most accurate guide in determining supplyrequirements is past experience, as reflected inaccurate stock records. Stock record cards (which willbe discussed in detail later in the chapter) should bekept current to assist in the material usage notes. Stockrecords should tell you how much of each item hasbeen used in the past. From this past usage data, youcan make a reasonable projection of future usage rates.SAMS (SNAP Automated Medical System) is anadditional management tool. SAMS is the currentapproved shipboard computer program used to trackall aspects of medical supply.REQUISITIONSA requisition is an order from an activity that isrequesting material or services from another activity.Except for certain classes of material listed inNAVSUP P-485 and P-437, all items ordered from theNavy Supply System, other military installations, theD e f e n s e L o g i s t i c s A g e n c y ( D L A ) , a n d t h eGovernment Services Administration (GSA) will beprocured using the MILSTRIP system. MILSTRIPrequisitioning is based upon the use of a coded,single-line-item document for each supply transactiondiscussed in the paragraphs that follow.DoD Single-Line Item Requisition SystemDocument (Manual), DD Form 1348DD Form 1348 (fig. 13-2) is used as a requisition;requisition follow-up, modification, or cancellation;and tracer request on overdue shipments sent byinsured, registered, or certified mail. This form isavailable in two-, four-, and six-part sets as follows:The two-part set is used by nonautomated shipsfor requisition follow-up, modification, orcancellation, and tracer requests;the four-part set is used for requisitioning fromshore activities; and13-7
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