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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
C.O. 885
8
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE
BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- | COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
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48. It is in the first of these that technical knowledge and judgment are most needed. Indents are often vague and incomplete, and great care is required to deter- mine what is really wanted, "When there is serious doubt, it is, as a rule, desirable to refer back to the Government concerned, rather than run the risk of spending money on unsuitable articles. It must, however, be remembered that manufacturers some- times raise frivolous questions, or represent, for purposes of their own, that the articles specified cannot be obtained or are unsuitable. Full consideration must, therefore, be given before deciding to incur loss of time in referring back.
49. Where any deviation is made from the exact terms of an indent the matter should always be reported to the Colony concerned, and, as a rule, this is best done by special letter directly the deviation is decided on. Similarly the Colony should be informed when action on a requisition is for any reason suspended.
50. The second point, completeness, is almost entirely a matter of careful exami- nation of indents and instructions to ensure that nothing is omitted either in giving the orders or at any later stage.
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51. In this connection the possibility of mistakes on the part of the Colony must be borne in mind. Sometimes duplicate indents are accidentally sent home; or orders sent by telegram are repeated by post without the necessary explanation, and hence are liable to be treated as separate orders; or wrong weights and measures are entered, tons instead of cwt., and so on; or identical items are repeated in different parts of a requisition. These are typical errors, but it is necessary to look out constantly and take instructions in the case of any apparent discrepancy or absurdity. Where there is doubt as to quantity or number of articles, it will, as a rule, be safe to send the lesser amount and ask the Colony for instructions regarding the remainder.
(c.) Cost.
52. This is the most important point of all. It consists in seeing:-
of care.
(1.) That the sanctioned estimate is not exceeded without authority.
(2.) That, irrespective of estimates, all articles are obtained on the best terms.
53. As to (1), it is, in ordinary straight-forward requisitions, merely a matter The total sum named in a requisition must not be exceeded without written instructions from the Deputy Head or a Crown Agent, and the same rule applies to individual items unless of trifling amount. Unauthorised excesses cause more dissatis- faction to Colonial Governments than almost anything else, and must be avoided accordingly. Occasionally, in their discretion, the Crown Agents sanction excesses of small amount in order to avoid delay, and in such cases it is usually desirable to report the matter to the Colony. Excesses of considerable amount are invariably referred either to the Colonial Office or to the Colony before proceeding.
54. The second point, i.e., that the best terms are obtained, is also of the utmost importance. It is not sufficient to see that prices are within the Colonial estimate, but they must also be reasonable in themselves. When competition is resorted to, prices may usually be assumed to be fair, though even here exceptions arise. When there has not been competition they must be tested by the best information available; for instance, by comparison with prices fixed by any recent competition, or with those previously paid for similar wares, or by any other means that can be made available.
55. Care must be taken that trade discounts and allowances are always obtained. 56. When acting with the advice of a Consulting or Inspecting Engineer, his opinion as to the reasonableness or otherwise of the prices offered may, as a rule, be accepted as relieving the department from further responsibility on this head; the department is, however, responsible that the relation of prices to sanctioned estimates is not overlooked, and if the Consulting Engineer does not specifically deal with this point, he should either be asked to do so or the matter settled from office sources.
57. Care must be taken that the sanctioned estimate is correctly ascertained. When it is given on the face of a requisition nothing more is necessary than to note whether it is f.o.b. in England or includes delivery in the Colony, and to see that the comparison with prices tendered is made on the corresponding basis. Often, however, the estimate is stated in course of correspondence, or appears in the body of a report of earlier date, or has to be sought for in some other direction. In such cases care must be taken to arrive at the true intention of the Colonial Government or Secretary of State, and, if the original estimate does not appear applicable, to raise the question before it is too late.
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(d.) Time.
58. Alleged delay is a fruitful source of complaint, which can only be met by showing that no time was lost in this office, and that all possible means were adopted throughout the work to push it forward as fast as possible. To this end, in addition to seeing that work is put through in the department with all due speed, it is necessary to take care, by reminders or any other steps, that it is not unduly delayed by our advisers, by the contractors, or by the printers, or at any other stage. Constaut vigilance alone can ensure success in this important respect.
59. Time may often be saved by the exercise of foresight in anticipating ques- tions which are sure to arise, instead of leaving them till a later stage and then delaying the placing of the order, or the shipment of the stores, while the questions are being settled.
60. It is especially necessary to avoid losing time in correspondence over details. This is an ever-present danger, which cannot always be avoided, but much can be done by personal interviews with Consulting and Inspecting Engineers, or the representa- tives of firms, or by leaving trivial matters to be settled after orders are placed, and by the exercise of common-sense and judgment in conducting correspondence.
III. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE MANNER IN WHICH INDENTS ARE DEALT WITH IN THE WORKS Department of the Crown Agents.
81. Indents, in common with all other documents, are, on arrival, opened in the room of, and initialled by one of, the Crown Agents. The initials of the Crown Agent signify nothing more than that he has seen the document, and must not be taken as conveying approval or otherwise. It is the duty of the department subsequently to raise any questions which may be necessary.
82. The first step after the indent has been seen by the Crown Agents is to stamp the date of receipt and to register the covering letter: this is done in the Correspondence Branch. The registration consists in giving the letter a current number and entering the following particulars:—
Date of receipt. Registry No.
From whom. Date of letter.
No. of letter.
Subject.
Remarks.
The principal use of the Remarks Column is to enter the department to which the letter has to go.
83. It is then sent to the department to which it is marked, ie., Works (W.) or General (G.). In the former case the Deputy Head examines it and minutes upon it by which Assistant it is to be dealt with, adding at the same time any necessary in- structions for the guidance of the Assistant which strike him as requiring special attention. If he thinks that the indent (or indents when several arrive under a single covering letter) would be more conveniently dealt with if divided into two or more jackets, he will note accordingly for guidance in registering. The above examination by the Deputy Head is only intended to be of a general character, all details being left to the Assistant, who must also bring to notice any special points which the Deputy Head may not have dealt with.
84. The indent is next registered in the Contract Register. The registration consists in giving it a current number (each Colony and each Railway has a separate sequence of numbers), and entering the following particulars on a requisition jacket and in the register:-
85.
Requisition No.
Date of receipt.
Indent No. and date (if any).
Covering authority.
Service (ie., name of department or work concerned).
General description of articles.
At the same time a Register Inder is posted, and the requisition number entered on a loose card. The Index contains only the requisition number, date and description of articles, and is useful as a ready means of reference to previous supplies.
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