Optimizing Hospital Procurement Planning: The Case for a University Hospital

The management of hospital inventories is challenged by budget constraints, demand variability, and procurement processes subject to bureaucratic rules and priority criteria defined by price registration minutes. This work proposes a multiobjective mathematical programming model to support purchasing decisions in a university hospital, integrating operational and legal aspects of the bidding process to the prioritization of products according to their criticality. The model determines what and how much to purchase considering budget constraints, different levels of priority between suppliers and penalties associated with not meeting demand. The approach was evaluated based on real instances of the hospital, and the results demonstrate alignment with the proposed prioritization policies, in addition to resolution times compatible with operational use, indicating the practical feasibility of the approach in the hospital context.