HOW DOES UMMA WORK WITH ITS SUPPLIERS?
UMMA negotiates Master Purchase Agreements with approved suppliers on behalf of its collective Member companies. These suppliers, in turn, belong to the sister organization, United Marine Suppliers Association (UMSA), which works to increase business between the two organizations. While UMMA does not actually perform the purchasing function, it does track purchases on behalf of its Members and suppliers and support compliance with vender credit policies. In exchange for its efforts toward consolidating the Members’ collective business and improving the efficiency in dealing with its Members, UMMA receives a small commission. After payment of its operating costs, the balance is redistributed among its Membership according to a formula, which recognizes the greater contributions of the larger Members.
