Receiving Procedure

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The following receiving procedure shows how to inspect, identify, tag, and record all goods arriving at the receiving dock.

Inspect Incoming Goods (Receiving Staff)

When the delivery arrives, compare the shipment to the description on the bill of lading and the authorizing purchase order. If there are significant discrepancies, reject the shipment.
If there is no purchase order, reject the shipment.
Using the standard receiving checklist, inspect the delivery for quality, quantity, and delivery timing. Initial each inspection point on the receiving checklist to indicate that it has been completed, and note any issues on the checklist.
Sign a copy of the bill of lading to accept the delivery.

Identify and Tag All Received Inventory (Receiving Staff)

Using the purchase order and item master file report, determine the correct part number for each received item. Label each item or the carton in which it is stored with the item number. If there is uncertainty about which part number to use, contact the purchasing department for assistance. No inventory items may be sent to storage without first having been identified and tagged.

Log in Received Items (Receiving Staff)

Enter the receipt in the daily receiving log, noting the date and time of receipt, supplier name, shipper name, and description and quantity of goods received.
Make a photocopy of the bill of lading and forward it to the accounting department.
Store the original bill of lading by date.

Note: If items are received during a physical inventory count, clearly mark them as not being available for counting, and segregate them. Also, do not enter the transaction in the corporate accounting system until after the count has been completed.