4 Ways The Dove Agency Helps With Procurement

Let Us Help You Streamline Your Procurement Operations

At The Dove Agency, we’ve mastered a streamlined approach to give every order the attention to detail it deserves—including our procurement operations.

After a difficult experience several years ago, the importance of a streamlined procurement process became more evident to me than ever before.

During my final project as a designer, my partner and I were working on a vacation home in Montana. We had placed a large upholstery order from a manufacturer in North Carolina. My experience with this vendor gave me confidence that my order would arrive on schedule, and amidst the busyness leading up to installation, expediting and tracking the order was pushed to the back burner.

In the hours leading up to install day, we made a quick phone call to the receiver to confirm that the sofa and eight chairs had arrived at the warehouse. We were told they had arrived. Our entire team flew to Montana from Dallas for the installation. That morning, the trucks arrived on time… but, with no upholstery in sight.

Panic set in after we made a few phone calls and determined that the upholstery items had been received at the warehouse—at the original delivery destination—but not in Montana. It turns out, the delivery truck driver had picked up our upholstery items at the original destination, but as he made his way into Montana and across state lines, he learned that his company wasn’t authorized to deliver to Montana. After returning the items to the original warehouse (one state over!), our delivery contact signed the bill of landing and our items were left in the loading dock in a corner with other unknown items—at the wrong location! (Ironically, what we did receive, however, was a set of patio furniture that wasn’t expected for another several weeks.)

Meanwhile, we were frantically trying to complete an install without upholstery for a family ready to enjoy their new home in the middle of winter with nothing but patio furniture. LESSON LEARNED:  don’t take any shortcuts. Track and expedite your products, regardless of how well you know a manufacturer or your past experiences; and, ask all the questions necessary to get your items to the correct destination and on schedule.

Our Procurement Process 

Our boutique-style approach at The Dove Agency ensures that procurement is executed under each client’s trade account, giving us the ability to oversee every step from start to finish, including ordering, payment, tracking, expediting, and processing damage claims.

We value the knowledge that we are representing our clients during this process as well as their vendor relationships. Let our team take the headache of procurement off your plate, so you can do what you do best—design!

1) Placing orders: Once you’ve found the perfect piece for your project, placing the order is exciting and easy! Oftentimes afterwards, however, designers feel helpless, crossing their fingers and praying that their orders will arrive on time at the correct destination.

At The Dove Agency, we remove that burden by seeing your order across the finish line. We ensure that the order is not only correct, but also that it arrives promptly and at the correct location. Additionally, we are equipped to procure the items with our clients’ preferred payment method and verify that all design specifications and costs are accurately noted on the vendor PO and vendor payment receipt.

2) Shipping/Receiving/Delivery Fees: Stop eating fees! When you’re juggling multiple projects and endless orders, it’s easy to overlook the small charges that keep hitting your credit card and add up along the way. We guarantee that every cost related to your purchases are credited to the associated items purchased for each specific client.

3) Tracking/Expediting: From the original destination to the receiving warehouse to the install location and the transit in between, we know where your items are every step of the way—and ensure that you don’t experience any surprises due to missing inventory. We oversee each client’s list of ordered items, track shipment dates, and expedite items to installation, as well as work with the receiving warehouse to confirm (with coordinating photos) that the correct items are ready for installation, damage-free. We are happy to also provide expediting reports upon request.

4) Damage Claims: Designers know that damage happens—and all too often. Our team seamlessly handles damage claims, works with vendors and receiving warehouses, and identifies the source to best provide our clients with a variety of options for cost and repair.