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Ships Stores / Vendor Guide
Doing Business with Ship Stores
To meet the needs of the afloat Sailor and Marine, ship stores carry essential basic health & beauty items, sundries, high demand items such as soft drinks and candy bars, and semi-luxury items such as consumer electronics. The limited foot print and space on board each ship restricts selection to the most popular items with the highest sale potential being those items that would appeal to young adults 18-22 years of age. Each ship is responsible to determine how best to meet the “retail” needs of their crew from the youngest Seaman Recruit to the Commanding Officer. The Ship’s Supply Officer or an appointed Ships Store Sales Officer supervises the purchasing of items to be stocked by reviewing items listed on authorized ships store vendor contracts and judging demand based on crew size, prior demand usage, potential popularity of the item and deployment schedule. All stock items available for purchase from vendors by ships stores are listed on authorized vendor contracts published in the Resale Operations (ROM 3) system by the NEXCOM Ships Store Program. Each vendor listing contains descriptions, ordering information, sources and prices. Each item carries a designation as to how the item will be ordered by the ship.
Listed Items
Items under contract are popular brand name type merchandise with a proven history of quality, value and sales appeal to Navy and Marine personnel. Contract terms are normally for fixed prices, indefinite quantity and delivery within a specified time period. Not all items listed are “contract items.” Vendors may have items they wish to add that fills a niche or are designed for the target shipboard population. This type of merchandise may be offered to ships under the small purchase guidelines that limit the dollar value being ordered by ships to enable the Ships Store Program to evaluate the popularity of the item or to take advantage of seasonal or promotional items. Ships Store Program personnel will assist potential vendors in determining if their products would be suitable for sale in Ships Stores Afloat.
Adding Items
New items are not automatically added. In order to have items listed, vendors must present proposed items to the Ships Store Program, Merchandizing Department for review and determination of quality, value and applicability for the seagoing retail stores. The Ships Store Program requires suppliers to submit a letter from the manufacturer stating that the supplier is the exclusive appointed representative for the product submitted. In addition, each vendor must submit the manufacturer’s published price list, minimum order requirements, terms and delivery schedules. Each supplier must agree to limit the amount of plastic packaging and to ensure that each item has either a Universal Product Code (UPC) or Bar Code readable by the program’s point-of-sale computer hardware. Suppliers must also participate in the Ships Store Electronic Commerce (EC)/Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) programs. If the item is judged to be acceptable and the vendor agrees to the business rules regarding EC/EDI and bar coding, the Vice President, Ships Store Program, will approve the item for sale to ships. The item may be added as a probationary item or identified as an authorized item, but available to ships by special purchase order only.
Special Purchase Order
If a ship wishes to purchase an item identified as requiring special ordering procedures, a “Special DD-1155” purchase order will be submitted to NEXCOM Ships Store Program via their Type Commander for further processing and submission to the supplier. Each purchase order will specify the terms the supplier will be required to meet. Inquiries and correspondence should be directed to the Ships Store Program.
Business Code of Ethics
NEXCOM purchases products and services on the basis of product merit and fair competition. All NEXCOM associates are required to comply with the Navy's Standards of Conduct - ethical rules for conducting business and personal activities. Anyone in a business relationship with the NEXCOM is expected to abide by the Standards of Conduct as well. Anyone who believes or has knowledge that the business code of ethics is being violated or that fraud, waste or abuse is taking place at any activity within the NEXCOM Enterprise may report their concerns at (800) 221-6330. This toll free line is available 24-hours a day and any reports will be promptly investigated. Confidentiality is assured.
