Harvest Hope is disputing the food loss and restitution claims. This has been assigned to an Administrative Law Judge and is currently pending.
New Inventory Accounting System (NetSuite) implemented for reporting of the 2023 Fiscal Year.
Includes:
• NetSuite will greatly reduce opportunities for ...
Harvest Hope is disputing the food loss and restitution claims. This has been assigned to an Administrative Law Judge and is currently pending.
New Inventory Accounting System (NetSuite) implemented for reporting of the 2023 Fiscal Year.
Includes:
• NetSuite will greatly reduce opportunities for human error and give clear line of sight to all inventory. The move of inventory and accounting to cloud-based NetSuite platform helped remove errors associated with server-based accounting and inventory software currently used.
• Added additional checkpoints in NetSuite to better track inventory with reporting and approvals for sales orders to ensure accuracy before orders are fulfilled.
Personnel
• Created Harvest Hope “Inventory Advisory Board,” comprised of warehouse leadership, branch executive directors, financial team, and President/CEO, to address and create inventory processes.
• Hired three (3) new management-level positions, one at each Harvest Hope branch, focused on fulfillments.
• Assigned new key leaders responsible for inventory matters.
• Created a new fulfillment department to help inventory controls and processes.
• Individualized one on one meetings at each Harvest Hope branch.
• Created internal training manual for receiving, handling, and transporting of USDA program items
• Talked through controls and inventory requirements needed for each facility.
Internal Controls
• All USDA to be verified and approved before finalizing invoice which then will be released to fulfillment to pack
• Moved inventory tagging/invoicing to warehouse management to ensure multiple touchpoints have accountability and oversight.
• Implemented notated invoice for accuracy.
• Established “Quality Control” check point in the CSFP packing line to ensure correct items are in boxes.
• Created dual touch processing of all USDA inventory through both paper trail invoicing and systems invoicing.
• Use “pick phase” for orders that are completed by fulfillment as a checkpoint before moving out of facility with verification by warehouse staff.
• Implemented weekly USDA cycle counts and bimonthly total inventory counts.
• Immediately stopped transferring unaccounted for items or inventory shrink to the EFP.
Best Practices
• Maintain standing engagement with accounting/business consultants to review practices, resolve unique challenges, and obtain best practice updates.
• Individually wrap TEFAP orders in Harvest Hope Florence facility per agency guidance.
• Reached out to other state and regional food banks to learn inventory “best practices.”
• Moved all USDA packing to Harvest Hope Greenville facility.
• Centralized and created CSFP process expertise in one facility.
• Engaged accounting and other professionals to help understand issues.
Documentation of distribution of USDA foods to recipient agencies:
• We have moved to a cloud-based system that allows real time tracking of agencies to maintain contractual records with our policy.