The Company assists clients by designing and implementing
solutions that reduce the overall costs of its customers’ supply
chains. The Company provides Just-In-Time (JIT) inventory
management of spare parts used in its customers’ manufacturing
processes to reduce cycle times and lower inventory-related costs.
The Company entered into a supply management contract (the
“Agreement”) with the Customer, an unrelated third party, to
provide spare parts ,
management services,(including sourcing, procurement, repair,
transport and delivery), and warehouse management.
?The key terms of the agreement between the company and
customer are as follows:
I. Purchase Process•
A Customer provides the Company with a plan at the beginning
of the year with a forecast of spare parts that it needs as part of
its manufacturing process. On the basis of this plan, the Company
purchases spare parts from third-party vendors and ships the spare
parts directly to the Customer’s location. The Agreement states
that the Customer determines the product and service specifications
and that no changes or modifications can occur without the
Customer’s consent. The Company purchases spare parts directly from
vendors. Note that although the Company purchased the spare parts
according to the plan, the Customer is not obligated or committed
to purchase these spare parts. •
The Company directly purchases from third-party vendors; the
Customer, is not involved in the purchasing process. Vendors name
the Company in their invoices; the Customer is not named in the
invoice. The Company is responsible for all payments to its vendors
in purchasing the spare parts. •
When spare parts are purchased by the Company , the vendor
ships the spare parts directly to the Customer’s warehouse
;however, the Customer does not purchase and obtain title to the
spare parts in its warehouse until it issues a purchase order
(P.O.) to the Company. At this point, the title of the inventory
for which a P.O. has been authorized transfers from the Company to
the Customer
.
The Company is responsible for the quality of the product sold
to the Customer, who has the right to return any defective product
to the Company.
•Purchase of spare parts by the Company is generally made in
advance of receiving a P.O. from the Customer,and the Company is
obligated to pay the vendors within the agreed-upon payment terms
irrespective of whether the spare parts are sold to the Customer or
payment is collected from the Customer •
The Company has latitude in vendor selection and negotiates
pricing with its vendors. The Company sets the price it charges the
Customer on the basis of the Company’s cost plus a predetermined
mark-up. If the Company is able to achieve certain cost savings for
the Customer (on the basis of its ability to negotiate pricing with
its vendors), it is entitled to bonus payments that are based on a
percentage of such savings. Therefore, the better the Company does
in negotiating savings for the Customer, the greater the margin it
earns on each sale.
Spare parts inventory, that is not purchased by the Customer
as part of the P.O. process ( because parts are obsolete or
requirements have changed) remain the property of the Company If
the Company is not able to sell the inventory to other parties, the
Customer will reimburse the Company for 50 percent of the cost of
the unsold parts
.
II. Warehouse Operations
•
The spare parts are held in the Customer’s (Tara) warehouse,
allowing immediate access to the spare parts, which avoids the cost
of storage for the Company.• Although inventory is held in the
Customer’s warehouse, risk of loss or damage remains with the
Company, and insurance is paid for by the Company. The Company has
dedicated employees stationed at each Customer’s warehouse. These
employees handle the day-to-day issues with spare parts received
into the warehouse.• The Company’s and Customer’s inventory systems
are interfaced, allowing the Company to monitor stock levels.
III. Shipping Terms
As noted above, the spare parts are shipped directly from the
vendors to the
Customer’s warehouse. The Company retains title and risk of
loss during shipping and at the Customer’s warehouse until a P.O.
is issued by the Customer to purchase the spare parts. After the
Customer issues the P.O., the title transfers, and the Company
recognizes revenue
.
IIII. Company Fee•
The Company receives 5.5percent as a “consumption fee” for
spare parts that are consumed (i.e., purchased) by the Customer
from the warehouse. In addition, as noted above, the Company earns
other fees according to its ability to negotiate favorable pricing
on the spare parts.
Required
:
•
a. How should the Company report revenue related to this
arrangement?
b. When should it be reported by the Company?
c. When is the Revenue Earned by The company for Reporting
purposes? For Tax Purposes?