HALO Smart Logistics
HALO Smart Logistics allows shared access to HALO Programme Logistics and Freight information through the halotrust.net online portal. Smartsheets (which operate as simplified Excel sheets) record and track the order process from Programme quote requests through to shipping and receipt in-country.
Quotes
Programmes request quotes on their ‘Quotes’ sheet, adding attachments and comments in where applicable.
Example:
Spare parts for a CASE 721 front loader
- Select the next available blank line and add the next sequential serial #.
- Enter the date of the request.
- Select a Category from the drop down list or type a new Category if desired.
- Enter a brief description if an attachment is being added or a detailed description if there is no file to be attached.
- Enter a quantity if applicable. ‘Various’ will suffice if the quote request applies to multiple items in an attachment. A specific quantity will be needed if the request is for a specific item and there is no attachment.
Blank lines can be used to separate groups of quote requests e.g. those all made on a specific day or month, or which relate to a specific donor or project.
The Programme must then email logistics@halotrust.org stating that quotes are required for the newly added serial numbers. e.g. “HALO AFG requests quotes for serial numbers 12 – 14”.
HQ Logistics will indicate that a quote request has been sent to supplier by ticking the check box and completing the supplier name.
When quotes are received from suppliers the supplier check box will be ticked and the quote will be attached to relevant line.
When the quotes are ready for review by the Programme or Regional Director the ‘Quote to be reviewed’ box will be checked by HQ Logistics.
The Programme can then indicate when a quote has been reviewed using the ‘Quote reviewed by Programme or RD’ check box:
Programme or RD has reviewed the quote
Quote is pending review or additional information
Quote was not reviewed by the Programme or RD. N.B. An order might nevertheless proceed with order approval by HQ Finance or Logistics
Then the ‘Ordered approved’ box can be use to indicate the follow on action:
Select the person or department approving the order and the supplier chosen
Order is pending review or additional information
The quote does not proceed any further
If the order is approved the donor allocation and budget lines should be entered into the sheet with a breakdown detailed in an attachment or note if there is more than one donor or budget line.
When the order is processed and an order number entered, the line will turn blue.
When the order has been received at HQ and the 
is shown, the line will turn green. A dated received should be added for information.
The freight method can be added by the programme if there is a specific requirement or, if left blank, it will be allocated by HQ Logistics as appropriate, with the corresponding freight reference shown, if applicable.
Historical information can be grouped in order reduce clutter on the page by selecting the relevant lines and using the indent button 
to group the lines in a similar manner to Excel.
Sea Freight
The Sea Freight sheet details all of the orders by shipment and serves as the basis for the packing lists.
The Sea Freight sheet is updated by HQ once orders have been placed and the shipping method has been indicated as ‘Sea Freight’. This will facilitate planning of shipments.
The Status column tracks HQ progress with order deliveries and packing preparations. The Status column also allows Programmes to confirm when shipments are in customs pending clearance or delivered.
Packing lists, consolidated invoices (ANG primarily), Bills of Lading and freight invoices are to be attached to the first line of the shipment group. Below that will follow the orders, with invoices attached.
Export licence details, where applicable, are documented, as the licence details must be provided on the packing lists. A copy of the export licence will be attached to the relevant lines. See Export Licences SIELs and Export Licences OIELs below for information relating to Export Licences tracking within HALO Smart Logistics.
The option to specify ‘Overland’ is included on the Sea Freight sheet. Overland will be used if HQ Logistics / Finance are placing orders with suppliers in-country or if the order is being delivered by road across international boundries e.g.
- An order with Security Devices (based in Zimbabwe) for the ZIM Programme will be classed as Overland but not given a freight reference #
- An order with Toyota Gibraltar for NK transiting through Europe by truck would be classed as Overland and be given a freight reference # e.g. NK A16
Air Freight
For Air Freight consignments. Similar tracking as per Sea Freight shipments.
Hand Carry
For Hand Carry of orders. Similar tracking as per Sea Freight shipments and Air Freight consignments.
Quotes, Sea Freight, Air Freight, Hand Carry – General Guidelines
Attachments, particularly excel files, should be formatted so that they can be sent directly to suppliers for quotations with little intervention from HQ Logistics. More specifically:
- One file per request e.g. a CASE spare parts list in Excel should be in a separate file to a JCB spare parts list. The requests will be going to two different suppliers and having multiple tabs in one file confuses suppliers.
- The page layout and print area settings should be set so that the information is legible when printed. Standardised Quote Request Form templates may be considered at a later date if these would be useful for Programmes.
When multiple quote requests are submitted HQ Logistics will endeavour to provide a summary sheet to facilitate donor allocations if a Programme has not already prepared one.
HQ Logistics will endeavour to provide all quotes in £ and US $ unless an alternative currency is specified in the notes facility.
Vehicle chassis numbers and plant serial numbers should be provided where possible, and / or refer to the Programme HT # (Fleet number) on the Fleet sheet (see below) to facilitate confirmation of the vehicle details.
Photographs of parts can be attached if required.
Use the notes facility to add more detail if required.
HQ Logistics will continue to maintain separate electronic storage of all information relating to freight on the HQ ‘S: drive’. Progammes should maintain their in-country electronic and paper filing systems as usual, until the cloud based system has proven itself reliable.
Smartsheets can be exported to Excel if required:
Data can be cut and paste from Excel and basic formula capability is also available if required.
Export Licences SIELs
Items such as body armour, Wizard and Beethoven exploders, disruptors, armoured vehicles, Ex-MOD vehicles, firing cable etc. often require export licences when exported from the UK.
Standard Individual Export Licences (SIELs) are valid for 2 years and cover specific quantities of items for export to a specific country. HQ Logistics apply for these licences at the request of Programmes or in, where possible, in anticipation of a requirement, particularly when new programmes are being started.
The ‘Export Licence SIEL’ sheet lists all Standard Individual Export licences which have been applied for, their status, remaining validity, and the items which have been exported under each licence. When the quantity or value of items limit is reached on a licence it can no longer be used to cover the exportation of goods.
Licence documentation and records of items exported under licence is required by law and these are maintained by HQ Logistics. Compliance audits can be made by the Export Control Unit at their discretion and HALO has been audited on several occasions with measures taken against HALO for previous non-compliance.
The SIEL sheets are set as ‘view only’ to prevent the accidental removal of information, however, if you are of any information which needs to be corrected, then email logistics@halotrust.org outlining your concerns.
Export Licences OIELs
Open Individual Export Licences (OEILs) cover multiple countries, for differing items (if required) and usually without limit on quantity. The validity of an OIEL is usually 5 years.
The OIEL sheets in HALO Smart Logistics will be made available to programmes but, for now, the tab is not active.
Fleet
The Fleet sheet must be used to document your Vehicle and Plant assets and be maintained when you have an addition to the Programme Fleet or a write-off.
The Fleet sheet has been introduced to replace the annual Global Vehicle and Plant List Excel returns (which lapsed in 2014) and will enable consolidation of HALO Fleet Assets, monitoring of the age of the HALO Fleet and the number of Vehicles Off the Road (VOR).
The Status of the Vehicle and Plant will need to be updated towards the end of every UK financial year (end of March) as the Fleet size is reported in the Annual Accounts.
The Fleet sheet can also be referred to in quote requests e.g. if a programme requests spares for CASE spares for HT 12 and does not provide the serial number for the machine then HQ Logistics will be able to look this information up in the Fleet sheet removing the requirement to send an email to the programme.
Capital Equipment
This tab is inactive for all programmes at present.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
General
Q. Why have we moved away from the conventional Excel freight lists to this new cloud based system which is internet dependent and requires passwords?
A. Increased transparency is required in the HALO HQ Logistics processes so that Programmes are kept up to date with progress of quote requests, orders and shipments. There is also a requirement to make the whole process more efficient in order to improve the service provided to Programmes.
Q. Why do we still need to be sending emails to say that we require a quote? Why do HQ Logistics not actively monitor the Quote tracking sheets? Why do we not use the functions ‘show recently modified’ or ‘send automatic notification upon change’ in place of standard emails?
A. HQ Logistics will actively monitor the Quote sheets but the email will ensure prompt attention and reduce the chances of requests being missed. The ‘show recently modified’ function which changes the colour of every cell modified in the last x hours or y days would unnecessarily complicate the sheets. The risk with the ‘automatic notification upon change’ function is that inboxes would become cluttered by notifications of minor changes meaning that important emails might be missed.
Email will continue to be used but using the HALO Smart Logistics system will reduce the amount of time spent searching through inboxes by consolidating all the freight information in a system accessible to HQ, Programmes and roving staff.
Access
Q. I can’t access HALO Smart Logistics today. Can I still request a quote by email or phone?
A. Yes. HQ Logistics will enter the details in the Quote sheet.
Q. Can I access HALO Smart Logistics on my android phone or tablet?
A. Yes. The halotrust.net site can be accessed once your programme email account has been registered and the Smartsheets should open. The layout will vary depending on the system being used but lines can be viewed in a ‘form’ format as well as the ‘Excel’ format. Changes can be made and notes added as required.
Backups
Q. Are there any automatic backups programmed?
A. Smartsheets is configured to automatically create a backup on a weekly basis, over the weekend, and this includes all the attachments. This does mean, however, that if you delete information which has been entered in the current week, which is not recoverable using ‘undo’, perhaps because the sheet has been saved after the deletion, that you will not be able to recover the deleted information.
Q. Can information be backed up locally?
A. Smartsheets can be exported to Excel or PDF files in order to create a local backup, however, attachments are not included in the export.
Q. Are attachments backed up elsewhere too?
A. HQ Logistics has a copy of the attachments which have been uploaded by HQ, on the HQ s:drive primarily because this is a convenient place to consolidate them before uploading them to the Smartsheets; but they will also serve as a backup.
Security
Q. What issues are there using static Smartsheet links which are not secure?
A. The chances of somebody stumbling across the static links by accident are slim. There is a risk if somebody leaving HALO takes a copy of the static link and uses it to access to Smartsheets post HALO employment. The risks are comparable to a former memeber of staff having access to emails, the ftp or Confluence. Static links can be refreshed by HQ Logistics on request. The process takes just a couple of minutes and will not affect what the Programme sees.
Q. Can a Programme access Smartsheets without going through halotrust.net and would this improve the security of the information?
A. By accessing the Smartsheets through halotrust.net we remove the requirement to have multiple Smartsheet accounts which cost £100 per user per year. We could, in future, integrate halotrust.net within a more secure environment like Office 365 or a HALO intranet e.g. Confluence, and HQ Logistics are exploring options with HQ IT. Any future migration of the halotrust.net site to a new platform would not affect the Smartsheet content or attachments.
HALO Smart Logistics 