View of the Inside

Julia Tribbett, Director of Business and Operations

How does the process change look from inside Mohave operations? Let’s get the update.

Most purchase orders are arriving made out correctly. Esther Hopkins, Mohave’s Member/Vendor Assistant, walks those members who are unaware of the change through the new process. Esther also directs members to our website for detailed information on the process change.

Mohave’s Procurement Specialists, Ann Del Monaco, Mike Nentwig, Erin Gordon and Anna Jacobs, have been cranking out the MESC reviews on member purchase orders, continuing to focus on correct current Mohave pricing and contract compliance. The average turn around time in our new process for all purchase orders is 1.13 days. The time for all purchase orders that are correct and not put into PIP (POS IN PROCESS) is .77 days. Purchase orders are entered into PIP when we do not have the information we need to confirm the contract compliance. Please have those detailed quotes with your purchase orders to speed your order along to the vendor. Members and vendors receive copies of stamped reviewed POs, quotes and backup information via email for each order.

Mohave Invoice Specialist Michelle O’Laughlin continues to process Mohave invoices for services being billed under the old process. The old process is phasing out most Mohave invoices, so Michelle has also been assigned two procurement contracts, APPLE and Safeguard. Your purchase orders and questions on these contracts should be directed to Michelle for processing. Ever enthusiastic to learn new things, Michelle will be changing her focus from the invoicing process to the procurement process.

Reconciliation/posting are the newest processes that procurement and accounting are undertaking at Mohave. Vendors are now remitting the admin fee back to Mohave on purchases made from our contracts. Accounting is checking the format and computations of the reports. If the format or computation of the vendor report is incorrect, the assigned accounting specialist will be contacting the vendor for the corrected report information. Procurement specialists are posting the payments to the correct member purchase orders. If there are purchase orders on the report that have gone directly to the vendor and have not gone through Mohave, Mohave procurement specialists will be contacting vendors for copies of the member POs.

In accounting Mohave is phasing out the old accounting processes: collections, credits, member payment posting, voucher payment to vendors, and replacing these processes with audit and contract compliance in the new direct order process. Terry McClintock, Audit Specialist II, has been Mohave’s internal auditor for ten years, and she is training Accounting Specialists Marta Duffin, Mary Brooks, and Joshua Paine in Mohave’s audit process. Accounting’s focus will continue to change from the business functions to the audit function as all the old process purchase orders are closed. Hats off to Marta, Mary, Joshua and Terry as they continue to work inside both processes.

As the internal systems in procurement and accounting change, Managers Rhonda Jackson, in procurement, and Sue Watts, in accounting, work closely with IT Manager Jim Dugo to make it all happen. Building reports, updating checks and balances in systems and assuring accuracy, the managers’ oversight and insight has been vital in a smooth transition from old to new. Jim is not only busy setting up and modifying the electronic systems for our internal processes, he also works with Carol Pashano, Mohave’s webmaster, to have Mohave’s website up and running.

Many things have changed inside Mohave. The Mohave staff has worked together to continue to bring the services that we have built our cooperative purchasing business on, in whichever process they are currently working with. Learning and refining new functions, we will continue to look at opportunities to increase efficiency and effectiveness in bringing you contracts and services to meet your procurement needs. And if you come inside Mohave you may even hear our process change mantra..."Blessed are the Flexible, for they will NOT be Bent Out of Shape…."

All the Kingman staff extends an invitation anyone traveling to Laughlin for the AASBO Spring Conference to stop by our open house meet us and see where we spend our day. We’ll be glad to give you a live view of the inside of Mohave on April 3rd from 10:00 a.m - 3:00 p.m.

2/21/08, JET