Purchasing (for Engineers)
- Matthew McCauley
For general purchasing stuff, please look at the https://nerdocs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/NER/pages/68583425 pages. This page will serve as a summary on the general process we have for purchasing stuff for engineering projects.
CONTENTS
BOMs
All projects have a Bill of Materials (BOM) spreadsheet in their Google Drive folder (which should also be linked in Confluence). This spreadsheet should itemize every purchase that ever needs to be made relating to a project.
The one exception we have to this currently is PCBs, in which case we utilize the https://nerdocs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/NER/pages/41615369 system, and instead add the entire PCB cost to the project BOM in Google Drive
Most columns are explanatory. WBS is the work breakdown structure for the work package. We’ve somewhat retired this column as we now budget for projects as a whole (X.X.0) as opposed to a specific WP (X.X.X).
Pooled Purchases
We make a lot of purchases. To save money on shipping costs, consolidate packages, and reduce finance forms, it is helpful to pool orders!
We currently have two spreadsheets to pool the following:
McMaster-Carr: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kqpnw8jZDx2GO5NFUtqefRXqT1XX46iMx5ZI4euPJgY/edit#gid=0
EE Distributors: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1YDD7SfCvcUX-2A0aKgKVb-ZtQCIAu4mKnFacT-Uho7E/edit#gid=0
Digikey
Mouser
Arrow
Newark
etc
Bolt Depot
No spreadsheet ATM, but they are a sponsor so their stuff is all free!
So far, they have been happy with screenshots of carts emailed to jason@boltdepot.com. Include reference to the fact that it is a sponsorship with NER.
Adding Stuff to be Purchased
Add your item to the project BOM
When ready to order, add your item to the appropriate order sheet
Make sure to paste without formatting (Ctrl + Shift + V)
Include the correct WBS for the project (http://finishlinebyner.com)
Order!
If you are in no rush, just let it sit until someone places an order
If you need it soon, place the order yourself! (see section below)
Making the Purchase
If you need something ASAP, or the spreadsheet has accumulated sufficient stuff, it’s time to buy!
Purchasing from McMaster
Copy from the sheet
The first 3 columns are formatted for easy copying!
Paste into McMaster
Use the paste mode!
Submit your reimbursement
Make sure to distribute to all the projects! (the one internal to the club)
Purchasing from Digikey
If there is only a few items:
Copy from spreadsheet
Paste into Digikey order
Digikey does not support whitespaces, so it’s good to put it through a site like this: https://www.atqed.com/string-tab-comma
If there is a lot of items:
Export the spreadsheet to a .csv download
Delete already purchased item rows
Upload CSV to Digikey for processing
Set the MPN, Quantity, and RefNames
Make sure to distribute the reimbursement form to all projects!