S 2.52 Supply and monitoring of consumables

Initiation responsibility: IT Security Management, Head of Internal Services

Implementation responsibility: Internal Services section, Administrator, users

Many devices commonly used in offices, for example fax machines, printers etc., depend on particular consumable items (e.g. paper, toner, data backup tapes) in order to be able to function. Therefore there must be a reliable supply of these consumables on site. There should be clear and unambiguous rules as to which consumables should be ordered and reordered by whom.

Certain resources should not be purchased or reordered by any employee, but only by authorised personnel, for example, very expensive products or technically complex components.

All users should be informed as to who should be notified when consumables need to be reordered or topped up. For every type of consumable there should be an appointed person who is responsible for and controls supplies of that item. This person is responsible

• sfor checking regularly whether there are sufficient stocks of the item or whether it needs to be reordered;

• for notifying the purchasing department in good time when consumables need to be reordered.

The supply of consumables must be adequately maintained by the purchasing department.

Additional controls:

• Is responsibility for the replenishment of consumables controlled?

• Are there often shortages of consumables?