[The following article appears in _The_Public_Sector_Network_
News_, Winter 1995 edition, page 4.]

                       QUALITY PURCHASING TOOL KIT
                                    
                 Madison Police Department, Madison, WI

     On June 27, 1989, a city Improvement team composed of
employees representing motor equipment, traffic engineering,
parks, police, streets, and attorney's and controller's offices
developed quality improvement tenets. Their mission was to
respond to a commitment by top city managers to improve the
procurement process on important purchases. In particular, the
management team wanted to formalize user input, establish a
quality process for quality purchases, and provide a means for
continuous improvement. Detective Team Captain Michael Masterson
has recently written an article, "Buying Radios Is Adding Quality
to Madison's City Government," which will appear in the January
edition of Quality Progress. In that article, he describes, in
detail, how the police department used a purchasing "tool kit" to
buy portable radios for police officers.
     A typical city agency initiates perhaps thousands of
purchases of goods and services in a single year. Certain
purchases directly affect employees and even the quality of
service delivery. A traditional purchasing unit is equipped to
imitate formal quotation and bid processes to ensure favorable
prices. The critical missing elements, however, have been a
quality needs evaluation and specification preparation, which
lead to making a quality purchase. An example would be in
ordering a dozen pairs of work gloves for a city work crew.
Sounds simple enough, but what is not obvious to city purchasing
is the relative importance of such factors as usable life,
waterproofing, warmth, protection from abrasions, retention of
manual dexterity, fire protection, and color.
     The goal of course is to minimize the total cost, not just
the bid price. The low bidder can win the glove contract, but,
within six months, because of poor fabric, inadequate stitching,
or lack of ventilation, purchasing may have to order more to
replace the poor quality products. Not only does quality have a
monetary cost, it also has a service cost. Employees' performance
may suffer, too. The justification to purchase should be based
on:
O Cost/benefit analysis
O Prior favorable experience with the product/vendor
O Special or unique product features that are of particular value
to the user
O Data-based, measurable user evaluation
O Exceptional warranty or vendor support
     One unique feature of this purchasing process solicits the
front-end input of the users of the service or product. The
process considers the input of users (internal customers)
critical in making a quality purchase. The components that can be
given weighted value in the decision to purchase may include:
O Cost-effectiveness and life-cycle costing (downtime, warranty,
service/maintenance cost, energy use, operating costs, etc.)
O Time savings/productivity
O Reliability/dependability
O Ease of maintenance and repair
O Health/safety considerations
O Budget
O Relationships with vendor
O Demonstration
O User interview
     Although the "tool kit" was developed over five years ago,
it is still relevant in 1994 and beyond. In the interests of
sharing information so that others may learn, a copy of the
21-page Quality Purchasing Tool Kit is available by sending a
business-size, stamped, self-addressed envelope to:
Captain Michael Masterson
Madison Police Department
211 South Carroll Street
Madison, WI 53710