89 -- Notice of Our Valued Suppliers

MEMORANDUM FOR DSCP SUBSISTENCE PRODUCE VENDORS To Our Valued Business Partners: I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support of our war fighters. During these times, it is important that the level of support remain high, while remaining aware of the ever-changing world events which can cause disruption to customer support. We here at the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia (DSCP), as well as our customers and their respective Headquarters personnel, appreciate all you have done, and will continue to do, to support our war fighters. The DSCP is a leader in providing its customers with cost savings, and quality product, and is always striving to continue to improve its way of doing business. To continue to improve DSCP's service to its customers, the Produce Acquisition Branch is initiating a new business initiative. In lieu of issuing weekly buys to support troop, DeCA Commissaries or School Lunch Programs, DSCP will be entering into long term Indefinite Quantity Contracts (IQC's). An IQC contract will be awarded to a full line produce provider to delivery an entire catalog of items to one or more customers exclusively. The IQC contract will greatly reduce the amount of paperwork that is handled by DSCP and its customers. The new business practice will also reduce cost for the customer. There are some areas within the DSCP Produce network that already operate under this new business practice, others are just beginning. DSCP Produce plans to have customers throughout the continental United States under long-term contracts within the next 12-18 months. In addition to supporting the customer through the use of IQC contracts, DSCP Produce intends to utilize an electronic ordering system. In an effort to streamline our ordering and receipt process, future contracts will require vendors to be able to accept, acknowledge and receipt orders through Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). Therefore, to continue to provide produce to our customers, vendors must be EDI compliant within the next 18 months. The system currently used by DSCP Customers is Subsistence Total Ordering and Receipt Electronic System (STORES). STORES will electronically submit a customer's order directly to the contracted vendor. It also automatically sets up the invoice process that is completed when the customer acknowledges receipt at time of delivery. The EDI Guidelines for Implementation to can be found at the DIBBS website (https://www.dibbs.bsm.dla.mil/) under Notices (at bottom of page). This document outlines the points of contact and EDI transaction sets that you as a vendor will be responsible for implementing. Although a timeframe has yet to be developed for full implementation, the sooner your company is EDI capable the better equipped it will be to assist in providing the customers with improved services. If your company is able to exchange information electronically through ANSI X12 format, we could set your company up as an EDI vendor immediately, being able to receive orders and send invoices electronically. The transaction set for an order is an 850, while the transaction set for an Invoice is an 810. It is highly recommend that you utilize these transactions sets in unison to provide a seamless order and payment process. While this is a business decision for your firm, there are companies available for a fee that will turn your flat files into EDI Invoices (810 transactions). To reiterate, all produce vendors must be EDI compliant within the next 18 months to continue providing product to our customers. If you have any questions, concerns or need assistance, please contact Frank Holder, frank.holder@dla.mil, 215-737-3311; Joanne Bonese, Joanne.bonese@dla.mil, 215-737-2913 or Dawn Leason, dawn.leason@dla.mil, 215-737-4364.