Local Products in Military Stores:
Hawai’i has a large military presence across the state. The military installations often have a wide range of shopping internally for the military and installation populous. These stores and their wide range of products opens opportunities for our local businesses to become suppliers.
Below are a few steps/documents for your use in sending your capabilities and product descriptions to the offices who fill the stores.
The Daniel K. Akaka ALA Hawaii Food Show & Conference
Normally, every year there is a food show, the Daniel K. Akaka ALA Hawaii Food Show & Conference, held on Oahu where vendors can display and pass out samples to potential buyers from government agencies. This can be a fast track for some companies to get into the Commissary or NEX…etc.
Please contact your HIPTAC counselor for more information on how to apply to be a vendor at the show.
DECA
Resources:
DECA Sales Team Directory – January 14 2020
Presentations to DeCA for New Items, Promotions and File Maintenance Request Spreadsheet
New Vendors: What to do first
- Review “Business Guide” (linked above) to gather basic information about DeCA as well as the brand name resale products they buy.
- Visit Local Commissary if possible to do market research
- Review the steps on how to do Business with DeCA.
- Review the listing of commissary locations that are listed as well as the Sales Team Directory (linked above) to give you an idea of the categories of items DeCA buys.
- Category Managers/Buyers as well as contracting points of contact are also provided to contact for appointments for item presentations.
- Vendors must be registered in SAM and have Electronic Data Interchange/Electronic Commerce capabilities (Receive Orders, Submit Price Changes, or Receive Payments Electronically).
- Before selection, a brand name resale product must have a Global Trade Identification Number (GTIN) and Universal Product Code (UPC) and be sold in commercial supermarkets.
- Complete “Presentations to DeCA for New Items, Promotions and File Maintenance Requests Spreadsheet” (DeCAF 40-15)
NEX
Resources
NEX Open letter to prospective contractors
NEXCOM buyers procure the merchandise (resale items) for Navy Exchange (NEX) stores and the NEX Marketplace. They determine the merchandise to buy based on input from vendors, store personnel, market trends, trade shows and NEX customers. They generally do business with manufacturers and/or direct importers that exercise full control over the product and its distribution.
New Vendors: What to do first
- Review “NEX Website”, “Buyer Contact” and “NEX Open letter to prospective contracts” (linked above) to gather basic information about NEX as well as the brand name resale products they buy.
- Visit Local NEX if possible to do market research
- Before client invests substantial time researching EDI capabilities and/or completing applications, we recommend that submitting an informal proposal via e-mail indicating specifically what firm would like the NEX to carry in their stores addressing the following:
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- Retail customers who carry your products and any pertinent selling data or successes;
- Confirm company’s EDI and EFT capability;
- Confirm products will be labeled according to Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) standards – formerly known as “Universal Product Code” (UPC);
- Quote product pricing, inclusive of all available discounts;
- Propose freight and payment terms, including shipping points; and
- Indicate product availability and minimum order requirements.
4. All prospective vendors must have:
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- A D&B “DUNS” number
- Must complete a NEXCOM trading partner agreement and EFT application
- Must be or become EDI capable
- Must provide products, each with a scannable Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) bar code