AN AUTOMATED FUEL ORDERING AND MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (FOMS)
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Date
2026-10-02
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Busitema University
Abstract
ABSTRACT
The downstream petroleum retail distribution sector in developing economies, particularly across decentralized rural districts like the Teso sub-region in Eastern Uganda (encompassing Soroti, Katakwi, Kumi, Ngora, Serere, Bukedea, Amuria, Kaberamaido, Kalaki, and Kapelebyong), experiences persistent supply chain fragility and operational bottlenecks. These systemic inefficiencies stem from archaic manual practices, including telephone-based order placements, physical dipped-stick tank readings, fragmented paper ledgers, uncoordinated road tanker dispatches, and prolonged 48-to-72-hour bank reconciliation delays. Consequently, regional retail stations suffer from frequent stockouts, inflated logistical overheads, credit-limit disputes, and lost retail revenues.
This project presents the design, development, and empirical evaluation of an automated, web-based Fuel
Ordering and Management System (FOMS) engineered to resolve these logistical, inventory, and financial bottlenecks. Grounded in a robust 3-Tier Client-Server Architecture, FOMS integrates a responsive, Single Page Application frontend built with HTML5, CSS3, ES6 JavaScript, and Leaflet.js interactive GPS mapping; a stateless, event-driven Node.js and Express RESTful API middleware; and an ACID-compliant, highly normalized MySQL relational database engine operated via asynchronous connection pooling.
Crucially, the system features a simulated B2B Mobile Money payment processing engine (supporting MTN MoMo and Airtel Money STK Push protocols) that executes real-time invoice reconciliation, dynamically adjusts ledger balances, and automatically releases credit-hold restrictions upon successful settlement. Real-time fleet tracking is achieved through driver GPS telemetry rendered dynamically on regional Teso maps, while inventory reserves across the Soroti Main Depot and regional buffer tanks are continuously monitored against configurable low-stock reorder thresholds.
The system development was guided by the Agile Scrum methodology across five two-week sprints. Multi-tier quality assurance - comprising a 40-case functional test matrix, automated load testing, and security penetration audits - confirmed 100% test pass rates, sub-100ms API response latency under 100 concurrent requests, and robust protection against SQL injection, XSS, and privilege escalation. An empirical User Acceptance Testing (UAT) survey involving 20 regional petroleum stakeholders yielded an exceptional System Usability Scale (SUS) score of 84.8/100 (Grade A), while quantitative benchmarking demonstrated an 87.5% reduction in stockout occurrences and reduced order-to-delivery administrative latency from 54 hours to under 4.2 hours. FOMS provides a scalable, cost-effective digital blueprint for modernizing downstream petroleum supply chains in emerging economies.
Downstream Petroleum Logistics, Fuel Ordering, Automated Ledger Reconciliation, Mobile Money B2B, GPS Fleet Tracking, Agile Scrum, Node.js REST API, MySQL, Teso Region.