What is BxAF LabOrders?

BxAF LabOrders is a web-based group inventory management system. BxAF LabOrders covers most inventory management procedures, including:

• purchase requisition
• purchase request confirmation
• purchase request approval
• purchase ordering
• item receiving
• item positioning/repositioning
• item reserving/issuing

BxAF LabOrders integrates product purchase requisition with product inventory management seamlessly, which makes it much more convenient and powerful than other standalone inventory systems.

What can BxAF LabOrders be used for?

• Track how grant/project money is spent. Tired of doing monthly spending summary for your boss? With LabOrders, your boss can review the spending and approve purchasing requests instantly for you!
• Collect purchase requests . No paper work at all! With just a few clicks, users can enter their requests into the system. Nothing can be easier!
• Process purchase requests : confirmation, approval, and purchase ordering. These roles can be assigned to any persons in the system and the corresponding actions can only be performed by persons with related roles.
• Order requested items : The purchasing team can review pending requests, print out requests for ordering, send orders to vendors directly. The system can track almost all ordering details.
• Check off received items : The purchase requisition is tightly integrated with laboratory inventory management. The received items will be automatically added to the inventory item list. In addition, users can associate storage information and other details with the item.
• Track request and ordering progress . The system always shows the real-time status of purchase requests. Everybody can get on-line to find out the current status of his requests.
• Review item history . Ever wonder how items are used up? It is easy with BxAF LabOrders.
• Organize laboratory inventory items , such as reagents, solutions, chemicals, freezer items, office supplies, and so on.
• Find out where to order certain items . The system allows to share non-personal information (e.g. products or vendors) to greatly increase the work efficiency.

BxAF LabOrders Overall Features

• Work in groups : groups can be formed by members from a laboratory, a department, or entire organization. Users can also form groups based on projects or spending accounts.
• Dreamweaver compatible template-based web interfaces : This makes it much easier for webmasters to modify the view or integrate with other systems.
• Open source solutions : BxAF LabOrders adopts open source strategies, this makes much easier for making minor changes, bug-fixing, and continual system improvement.
• Flexible to meet changing and complex needs : Different groups can set the system in different complexity and settings can be changed whenever needed.
• Much easier, more efficient way to manage purchase requests, purchasing details, and inventory items :
• Monitor request status through the processes. Know exactly when and by whom an item purchase request was submitted, confirmed, approved, ordered, or item received.
• Maintains a complete history of an item through its life cycle.
• Low quantity warning : Find out what’s running low, helps you identify shortage of the items and maintain an accurate inventory.
• Maximally automated: Most tasks require only a few clicks.
• Coupled with e-mail capability to inform the special situation, e.g. low quantity.
• Full role-based control of each function : the corresponding functions are only accessible by specified users.
• Highly secure system : pick exactly who can access your data. Each database table, each database records, and each file on the server are controlled.
• Supports unlimited users, groups, and items . However, only the first user needs to enter information about a product or vendor.
• Lowest total cost : Are there anything better than open source solutions? With BxAF LabOrders, there is no extra cost (system, databases...)!

BxAF LabOrders System Requirements

• Server : AMP (Apache + MySQL + PHP) on Linux or Windows. A P4 computer is fast enough as a server for the entire company.
• Client : newer browsers (firefox or IE6).

Purchase Requisition Features

• Submit purchase requests while browsing inventory items or previous requests.
• Can search through the system and submit purchase requests based on searching results.
• No need to re-enter product/vendor/supplier information, as long as someone has done it.
• System can be set up to have requests confirmed or approved by special persons.
• If not confirmed yet, requests can be cancelled.
• Requests can be rejected, updated, or put on hold. System can notify requesters of the status.
• When confirming or approving requests, alternative suppliers are available for comparison. Different quantity can be entered.
• System links to vendor’s website for newest catalogs and prices.

Item Purchasing Features

• Directly print out from approved requests.
• The printouts are ready to be faxed.
• Can send orders electronically to vendors.
• Combine requests for easy ordering.
• Auto-calculate total cost with different discount quotes, shipping plans, and tax rates.
• Can be set up for ordering through individuals, groups, or one purchasing team.
• Upload and store electronic receipts on-line.
• Allow partially ordered and continue ordering in the next round.

Item Receiving Features

• One-click to check off received items.
• Allows partial quantity received.
• Track storage information. Automatically import previous storage information to save typing.
• Track lot number.
• Print out item barcode tags.
• Add items to inventory db automatically.

Group Item Management Features

• Items are categorized for easy sorting or searching.
• Can add items directly into the system without going through the ordering processes.
• Low quantity warning: a minimum quantity can be set for each item for a group.
• Items can reserved for experiments by users.
• Group managers can issue items to researchers.
• Complete item history is available, from requests submitted to item reserved.
• Item is batch-based.

System Setup, Maintenance, Backup

The easiest: all done in one-click.

Example BxAF LabOrders Flowchart

• Submit requests . Duplicate from previous requests, or add new products, vendors and suppliers on the fly.
• Confirm requests . Group manager or specified persons will confirm the request input, selected suppliers, catalogs, and so on.
• Approve requests . Supervisors will approve the confirmed requests for purchasing.
• Order items . Purchasing teams will take care of ordering from the printouts.
• Receive items . When items arrive, someone will check off the items received.
• Reserve/issue items . Whoever needs an item, he can reserve it to make sure it is available during experiments. Group manager can also distribute items to users after items are received.

Note: In addition to the controls of request confirmation, approval, and purchase ordering, group managers can set up system to have controls on entering or editing product, vendor, and suppliers.

Why Choose BxAF LabOrders?

While there are many “cheap” standalone inventory management software products around, BxAF LabOrders is innovative and simply superior in many aspects:

• One-stop solutions : Our system integrates purchase requisition, purchase ordering, and inventory item management.
• Web-based designing makes it easily accessible. The template-based interfaces provide a much easier way to modify the interface.
• Searching to find out what the best source to order from or best deal you can get.
• Minimalsystem maintenance!
• Open source solutions and free upgrades !
• Lowest overall cost : guaranteed!