Laboratory Supplies and Equipment
For most laboratory supplies, equipment, furniture, and fixtures, the NASPO Contract enables ordering directly from Fisher and VWR via their buyWays Punchout or with a PCard. The contract is very flexible in that it covers all items with a unit price of less than $50,000. With that said, many scientific applications are very specific in nature, so Fisher or VWR may not be a suitable supplier. For these special applications, users are encouraged to use the Non-Catalog Form in buyWays to enter a requisition. In the requisition, the users should request a discussion with the Scientific Procurement Manager so that the range of purchasing options can be explored. There is not a "one size fits all" method for buying scientific items and the discussion is a mutually beneficial way to discover the most appropriate buying method. Your specific application may expose the need to create a new term contract that would benefit others.
Ordering and Additional Information below:
In some cases, a Sole Source Procurement is applicable. Use the Sole Source form in buyWays and pay special attention to the three requirements for justifying the Sole Source. In many situations, it should be noted that public bidding will have long-term advantages to the university, although a Sole Source procurement could be adequately justified at the time of purchase. Sole Source overview and tips can be found here.
Helpful Links:
- Decision Tree — flowchart designed to help you choose which purchasing method should be used.
- Disbursement Grid — grid used as an aid to assess availability of the type of University funds prior to making commitments.
- PCard Policies and Procedures
- Policies, Procedures and Guidelines