Big companies are now able to negotiate their own pricing and maintain relations with suppliers directly, rather than Inhouse Manager managing this on their behalf.
Inhouse Manager says the software enables caterers to replicate menus and recipes across sites, and, by altering the uptake numbers to suit, the programme can calculate the ingredients required for service, and automatically place orders with suppliers.
The orders are completely visible up to four weeks in advance, and can be altered by staff where required by changing the uptake numbers, or the stock holding. Buffer stock, minimum stock levels and standing orders can all be set up to save more time.
Delivery, production and consumption locations are set up in the system, enabling deliveries to arrive split for different areas 'where necessary'.
The software calculates costs, and enables users to select the most cost effective ingredients from across suppliers. Users can add their mark up to menus or individual goods, see a complete separation of costs, while the central billing enables invoicing to departments or sites.
Also included is meal ordering module, allergens and a new nutritional analysis module.
Inhouse Managers says the module lets clients select or input whichever standard they wish to measure their menus and recipes against, and by producing reports on both an even uptake and actual uptake gives “the clearest picture” of the nutrition provided by their offering.
Anita Carthew, business development director, said: “Allergen information has been available within Inhouse Manager for a number of years, and this new module was the next natural development.
“We wanted to make it easier and quicker for clients to be able to access accurate reporting within the minimum of work. The system already knows what is being cooked, and the ingredients being used, so why make clients input this information all over again to produce nutritional reports?”