Item Maintenance

This is the section where you define and manage the items you use in inventory. 

New Users: Please see Suggestions for Setting Up Inventory Items for information on how to design a new item file.  

This displays an overview of items. To get to the details, click View/Edit.

• Select Filter Items by Current Bid Prices, Account Categories, Bid Groups, Item Groups, and/or Vendors from the dropdown lists to filter options displayed in the grid.
  • The user can select to view items with or without Bid Prices, or view All with the first dropdown menu.

Grid

• Highlight any column heading in the upper grid to Search by: that column.

• The prices, packaging and vendor information are all listed by Bid Dates.

 Filters and Searching

Did you know that when you set a Filter type (Description, Packaging, Price, etc.), select an item, click View/Edit and then return to the main screen by clicking , your previous filter and item remains selected?

Buttons

• Click  to create a new item.  See How to Set Up a New item

• Highlight a row and click  to view or edit an existing item in the grid.

• Highlight a row and click  to delete an inventory item. 

  • An item cannot be deleted if On Hand inventory exists, if it is in an open BID, or if it associated to a MP Menus ingredient.
    • If there is no On Hand, open bid, or association with Menus, and no Transaction History exists, the item will be deleted.
    • If there is no On Hand, open bid, or association with Menus, but there IS transaction history, it will be marked as Inactive and all associated bid information and group assignments will be deleted. The item will no longer be displayed on the Item Maintenance and Transaction screens, but its history will be available for the Transaction History and Transaction Summary reports.

• Click the button to attach documents to a record.  Please see Document Cabinet for complete instructions.

• Highlight a row and click to manage the sites’ ordering rights for this item.

  The single arrows move a highlighted site to the left or right.

  The double arrows move all sites to the left or right.

   

DISTRICT SITES LIST

This section can be filtered by Site or Site Groups to make assigning items easier.

The sites that are currently allowed to order this item are listed here.

Example: To assign an item to all elementary schools, all you need to do is click Site Groups, select Elementary Schools and then click the single right arrow to move that site group to the Selected Sites grid. All elementary schools will be able to order the selected item. Remember to save any changes.

SELECTED SITES GRID

The grid displays Site Id, Site Description, Order Preference, Min Par Level, Max Par Level, and Vendor Order checkbox.

The sites that are not permitted to order this item are listed here.

• If you want to prevent orders at a site, remove that site from the Selected Sites list on the right.
• This does not prevent other transactions (such as Receiving, Adjustments and Usage) for existing inventory.
• The Order Preference column is for reference only. Please go to Administration: Site Setup to change the order preference for a site.

Par Levels

Setting a minimum and maximum level for the Par Levels will automatically generate an order when an item reaches the min. level to meet the max. level.

These levels are Primary Units only.

Only the user with access to the site, and permission to order the item can set the Par levels.

• Enter a minimum par level in the Min Par field.
  • If the Par Level is set to 0, it means there is no Par Level.
• Enter a maximum par level in the Max Par field.

• Check the Vendor Order checkbox only if the site is allowed to order items from the vendor when needed.

  • Sites that have an Order Preference of Vendor Only cannot edit Vendor Order access.

  • Unchecking the box will restrict the item from being ordered from the vendor.

  • Only items assigned to the site are available to allowed or restricted.

    • If ordering access for an item is removed from a site, the item will be removed from any open site orders for that item once it is saved.

  • Click the (Un)Check All box to select (or de-select) Vendor Order boxes for all the sites in the Selected Sites grid.

• Highlight a row and click to manage the sites’ ordering rights for this item. You can also use Utilities: Assign Storage Location to set the storage location for multiple sites/site group and inventory items at once.

• Highlight a Site Description and select a storage location for the item from the Storage Location dropdown menu in the grid. Repeat this for each site and item you want to set. Setting storage locations is optional.
  • Only one storage location can be assigned to an item, per site.
  • Storage Location options available here are storage locations created in Administration: Storage Location Setup.

NOTE: A site can have a location assigned for an item, and the site is not able to order it. This is by design because a site can be set up to have an item transferred instead of having it ordered.

• Click Save.The user will be returned to the mainItem Maintenance screen.

APPLYING ONE STORAGE LOCATION TO ALL SITES

• Select a Storage Location from the Default Storage Location dropdown list.
• Click to apply/display that storage location to all of the sites in the grid. It will automatically set all sites to the same Storage Location.

• Click Save. The user will be returned to the main Item Maintenance screen.

Handling Fees for Warehouse/Kitchen Orders

• In some cases, an outside vendor provides warehouse storage and delivery services for the district.

• The district actually owns the inventory but it is stored at a 3^rd party warehouse.

• The vendor charges a handling fee for warehouse deliveries.

• The Handling Fee is entered under the Items’ bid price settings.

• Handling fees apply only when the inventory is shipped to the schools using Warehouse Orders done through the regular ordering process.

• Handling fees are not applied if the inventory is transferred from site to site without Warehouse Orders.

• Warehouse Orders for item with handling fees will also create Purchase Orders for the fees that will update the GL the same as Vendor POs.

• The Vendor for Handling Fee Purchase Orders is selected under Site Setup for the Warehouse/Kitchen Site.

• The Expense Account code for Handling Fee POs is set up under Inventory Accounts: Handling Fee.