PAS Requisition Exceptions
June 6, 2009

Effective July 1st PAS requisitions with pre-tax totals that fall below $3300 (direct-buy-limit) will require justification notes. Some commodities are exceptions; click here. to see list.

New! Green Purchasing Webpage
April 3, 2009

See our green purchasing webpage to learn about green purchasing as it relates to the federal stimulaus package. More to come! To see page click here.

Governor's Proclamation for Purchasing Month
April 20, 2009

Gov. Christine Gregoire has officially proclaimed March-2009 as Purchasing Month in Washington State. Read more

State Mandated Personal Service Contract Management Training Class
Jan 5, 2009

Personal services or consulting services, as they are commonly called, include a variety of types of professional and technical services that the UW purchases, such as: organizational assessment, actuarial services, financial and economic analysis, environmental planning, management consulting, marketing services, needs assessment, quality assurance, research & scientific studies, statistical analysis, strategic planning, design and video production services just to name a few! Be sure to register by clicking here.

December's Purchasing Tip:
Jan 5, 2009

The year 2008 is coming to an end, and we are getting into the time when various suppliers will start offering substantial year-end discounts as sales incentives, especially for scientific research equipment. Many of University departments elect to pursue those offers and realize substantial savings. At times, this happens with a little turn-around time given to the Purchasing department; while it is our goal to acquire these items for you as timely and efficiently as possible, we would like to give you a few tips to ensure that you will have a smooth, pleasant and productive experience with us.Read more...

Dollar Threshold Increase
December 8, 2008

The dollar threshold at which orders for goods and services may be placed in PAS without seeking competition (aka the 'Direct Buy Limit') has been increased from $3000 to $3300 (not including tax and shipping). This change has been made in accordance with a change in state statute and is effective August 1st, 2008. This means that purchases up to $3,300 (plus tax and shipping) can be placed directly with suppliers by UW departments.

While the direct buy limit was increased for purchases in PAS, it also applies to Procard purchases. We strongly encourage the use of the Procard for orders under $3300. The single transaction limit for Procard purchases remains at $2000 however, this limit can be waived for purchases with authorization from UW Procurement Card Services. Contact them directly at:
ProCurement Card Help Line: 206-543-5252
ProCurement Card Email Help: procard

This change does not impact the use of eProcurement. There is no dollar threshold for any purchase made through eProcurement and we recommend that you review the eProcurement option prior to making any purchase to see if what you need is available from one of our growing number of eProcurement suppliers. Please see: eProcurement

For a new and very handy tool to help you decide what purchasing method to use, please see the UW Procurement Guide to Goods and Services at: UW Procurement Guide

If you have any questions regarding the Direct Buy Limit update in PAS, please contact Aleksey Belov at lexa@u.washingtone.edu or 206-543-0816.

eProcurement Upgrade
November 21, 200

The eProcurement team is pleased to announce the upcoming release of Ariba 9r1. Over the last couple of years we have listened to your feedback regarding ease of use . Join us as we walk through the new look and feel of eProcurement.

Click on the following link and sign up for class, space is limited so sign-up early. Sign up!

3 New Vendors Join eProcurement Marketplace
August 10 , 2008

We are pleased to announce three new eProcurement vendors; Invitrogen, Continental Laboratory Products (CLP), and the new Qiagen punchout catalog. Read more

New Ordering Process for Ethyl Alcohol Coming Jun. 11, 2008
July 30, 2008

Click here to learn about the new process.

Petty Cash Voucher Now Available at Publication Services
July 29, 2007

Petty Cash Voucher Now Available at Publication Services
The Petty Cash Voucher (form # 1243) is no longer available at University Stores. The Petty Cash Voucher form is now available from the Publication Services web site.

Note: Only one authorized and signed copy of the voucher (with original receipts) is now required at the Purchasing Petty Cash window. Please retain one signed copy of the voucher for your records, as a copy will no longer be returned to your department.

New Ordering Process for Compressed and Liquid Gases Program
July 24, 2007

Click here to learn about the new process.

State Mandated Personal Service Contract Management Training Class
June 24, 2007

This class will be held June 24th in the Black Room of the ECC from 9:00-11:00 a.m. Click here for more information.

New eProcurement User Reconciliation Practices
June 11, 2007

Due to a change in the underlying application supporting eProcurement, there will be changes in how purchases are charged to budgets. In the past, purchases were processed on the detail level and special customizations were put into place to itemize the expenditure against the departmental accounting structure (budget, object/sub object, task, option, and project). As in the past, orders will be entered into eProcurement with different budgets and object codes, but now they will be processed on separate purchase orders and charged separately by budget number and object code. Purchase orders and budget charging documents/transactions will have only have one budget number and one object code, so you may receive multiple EP (purchase order) numbers and multiple charges on the BAR for one S number (requisition number). For additional details view the .pdf

Furniture Showroom Closure
Oct 15, 2007
Due to Purchasing department relocating to a new space in the upcoming future, the Furniture Showroom is going to be disassembled and closed down by October 15th, 2007. Because we know how important this “feature” was for all of our valued customers, we are working with all of the contracted furniture suppliers, whose products are currently represented in the Furniture Showroom, to provide you with alternatives that would accommodate your needs with as high quality of service as you have grown to expect from us.

GovConnection Now Available in eProcurement
Aug 21, 2007
GovConnection, a leading national supplier of computer and technology products, is now available. GovConnection is pleased to offer exclusive low pricing on Lenovo notebooks and accessories to university purchasers.  Save 30% on Lenovo notebooks!

Discounts on University Stores stock items
Aug 10 , 2007
Discounts are now in place for many of the items stocked at Stores, while supplies last. You will find discounted prices on these items: office supplies, copier paper, toner cartridges, lab and glassware, photo supplies, medical supplies, dental supplies, UWMC forms, and some custodial products. Order early for best selection! View specials click here.

New eProcurement Feature Makes Purchasing Equipment More Convenient
Aug 2 , 2007
This new feature enables users to easily purchase equipment from a full range of premier online vendors at competitive, contract prices. To read more click here.

Looking for Paper Invoices?
June 14 , 2007
Stores provides paper invoices for orders placed through eProcurement when the vendor does not include a priced packing slip with your order. You will only receive an invoice copy from Stores when the pricing is not included on the packing slip accompanying your order.
Through biennium close (June 30) Stores is able to provide a paper or electronic copy of any invoice for any eProcurement order, upon request. Requests may be placed by email at ustores@u.washington.edu and are usually available within a few days, depending upon the volume of requests. After June 30, invoice copies will only be available from Stores for orders placed with vendors who do not provide priced packing slips. For more information on placing orders using UW eProcurement or take a free hands-on training session go to the UW eProcurement website.

Questions About Biennium Close
June 3 , 2007
In order to assist all UW staff doing acquisitions and payments during the biennium close time, the Department of Financial Management has posted a website with useful tips, deadlines and other useful information. Please visit the biennium close 2007 website if you have any questions.

New General Terms and Conditions Online
March 14 , 2007
The Purchasing Department has revamped and posted its General Terms and Conditions on-line.

Purchasing and Stores is Part of Financial Management
Jan 24 , 2007
Many of you have noticed changes to our website: there is a Financial Management division banner, change in colors, addition and deletion of certain links. All of it is due to the exciting change for the Purchasing and Stores department. As of November of 2006, Purchasing and Stores is part of Financial Management division. This change does not affect our goals and commitments to our clients. In fact it gives us more capability to serve our customers even better by bringing us together [institutionally] with various entities in the Financial Management. Institutional proximity with entities such as the Account Payables department, which is part of the acquisition cycle, will give us more flexibility in rapid improvement and implementation of certain processes, and other value added activities for our customers.

University Stores Announces Changes for 2007
Jan 7 , 2007
University Stores Announces Changes for 2007</a> - This is a time of considerable change for University Stores and eProcurement. You will find fewer products stocked at U Stores, and more next day deliveries directly from vendors through eProcurement.

UW Purchasing Dept: A three-year success story
Nov 30, 2006
The UW Purchasing Department has successfully undergone a Contractor Procurement System Review (CPSR) audit, conducted by the Office of Naval Research (ONR). The result is that the UW's purchasing system has been approved by the federal government for another three years.

"Procure to Pay" Project Underway
Nov 27, 2006
There is a project underway to develop a strategic procurement plan for the UW. A Procure to Pay Team has been established and is evaluating all aspects of the procurement process from the time a decision is made to purchase goods and services until payment has been made. This is a collaborative project between the Business Services Division (which includes Purchasing & Stores) and Financial Management, being coordinated by the Strategic Initiatives Office. Questions about this project can be directed to Pat Bonner, Strategic Initiatives Office, pbonner@u.washington.edu or 206-616-0491.

UW Launches New Business Diversity Program Website
Nov 17, 2006
The UW Business Diversity Program has launched its new website. The program is committed to ensuring the development and viability of small, minority, and women-owned businesses, and helps ensure that the University receives quality goods and services at competitive prices. To access the Business Diversity Program website click on the title above.

Help us [UW Purchasing and Stores] become more user friendly
Oct 30, 2006
Dear UW employees, In order to assist you with your acquisition needs, the University of Washington Purchasing and Stores is embarking on a process of re-designing its website (http://www.washington.edu/admin/purchstores/). Please note that by website we do not mean eProcurement. Our goal is to provide you with a dynamic, user friendly, "knowledgeable" online source of information, and we need your help! We sincerely request your feedback, via a short survey, about the state of our current website. We anticipate that taking this survey will take 10 to 15 minutes of your valuable time. There are only 10 questions [question # 11 is optional - a request for your participation in our web re-design focus group]. In order to take this survey you will need internet access and your UW Net ID. Please go to the following link to start your participation in our survey: https://catalysttools.washington.edu/survey/?sid=25316&owner=lexa Survey availability: until October 30th, 2006.

VWR and UW Reach New Contract Agreement
Oct 27, 2006
The University of Washington and VWR a leading worldwide distributor of scientific equipment, supplies, and chemicals are pleased to announce a new contract agreement has been reached. University Stores customers will be pleased to know that the agreement features pricing that contains no markup. In addition to the elimination of the markup, both shipping fees and hazard fees have also been removed adding to your savings when purchasing VWR products.

2006 Business Services Division Client Satisfaction Survey
Oct 27, 2006
The 2006 Business Services Division Client Satisfaction Survey was concluded on 3/31/06. We want to thank all of our clients who took the time to give us their valuable feedback. To view the results click on the title of the article.

UW eProcurement Orders
Oct 27, 2006
UW eProcurement is pleased to bring you these new vendor catalogs - Office Depot, Fisher Scientific, and VWR. Each offers contract pricing with no mark-up when you place your order using eProcurement! They join Daigger, Dell, Qiagen, Promega, University Stores, Bank and Office Interiors, and Sigma Aldrich. All of the catalogs in eProcurement allow you to order directly from vendors who ship directly to you with order routing approval, automatic payment and posting to your budget. Please note that beginning Monday, October 23, University Stores will no longer accept non-catalog or faxed orders for vendors who provide catalogs in eProcurement. Ordering directly from the online catalogs in eProcurement can save you both time and money. You may place rush orders or special orders directly with vendors, using your UW ProCard or PAS purchase order. If you are not currently using eProcurement, please contact us today at: eprocure@u.washington.edu or Help Desk: 206-685-3558.

State of Washington SMART-BUY Program Goal to Save Money
Oct 27, 2006
UW representatives are participating on three bid teams in Olympia to improve the competitive contracts for items used by all agencies and institutions. The current bid categories are: office supplies; copiers and fax machines; and contract programmers and other information technology hourly staffing. The state Dept of General Administration has retained the consulting firm Silver Oaks Solutions to provide guidance on ways in which the high volume of state spending for these commonly purchased items can be used to reduce pricing. Silver Oaks has assisted other states in achieving significant savings. More information about the state SmartBuy program is available online. To access click on the title above. Results from these bids and any new contracts that are available for UW use will be shared with campus administrators over the next few months.

UW Software Site Licenses
Oct 27, 2006
If you want software for your desktop or home computer and you are affiliated with the UW, take a look at the summaries of available site-licensed software. The software summaries provide an overview of the software, details on the license, and information about getting the software and getting help.

Office Depot is Now Available in eProcurement
Oct 06, 2006
UW Purchasing helped to consolidate and leverage the spending of state agencies to create improved competitive contracts as part of the new statewide SmartBuy program. Office Depot was selected as the preferred vendor of office supplies, and will replace Corporate Express in UW eProcurement.

Fisher Scientific Now Available in UW eProcurement!
Oct 06, 2006
Fisher Scientific, a leader in providing products and services to the scientific-research community and clinical laboratories, is now part of UW eProcurement. Whether you're ordering biochemicals, cell-culture media, proprietary RNAi technology or rapid-diagnostic tests and safety products, Fisher Scientific is easily accessible through their catalog in UW eProcurement. Click title to read more.

UW eProcurement Announces New Fisher Scientific Contract
Sep 06, 2006
Fisher Scientific, a leading provider of biochemicals, cell-culture media, proprietary RNAi technology, rapid-diagnostic tests, and safety products will soon be added as a "punch-out" vendor to the eProcurement marketplace. In the interim customers are encouraged to continue to place orders with Stores personnel as usual, with capitalized equipment orders continuing to go through PAS. For more details click on the title of this article.

Sigma-Aldrich Now Available
Mar 01, 2006
We are pleased to announce that Sigma-Aldrich, a leader in life science and high technology, is now available in UW eProcurement. Sigma-Aldrich is a leader in assisting our UW research community by providing high quality products and excellent service. This includes biochemical and organic chemical products, kits used in scientific and genomic research, biotechnology, pharmaceutical development, and the diagnosis of disease. For more information on placing an online order with Sigma-Aldrich, UW eProcurement, or free hands-on training, please contact us and a customer service representative will assist you: Customer Service phone: 206-685-3558 Customer Service email: eprocure@u.washington.edu Thank you for relying on UW eProcurement to provide the best scientific products, pricing and services available.

2006 CALENDARS AND DATED GOODS
Mar 01, 2006
Corporate Express has now added calendars and dated materials to their CE Branded product line. They have replaced 121 At-A-Glance items with the new CE Brand equivalents. Please click on the title link for more details and item number references.If you are currently not an eProcurement user, please paste the following link into your browser: https://www.washington.edu/ admin/purchstores/stores/ /forms/orderform.PDF. Complete the form and fax to 206 685-0591. In order to expedite the process please make sure you use the Stores item number.

Biennium Close Cutoff Dates for University Stores and eProcurement:
Aug 04, 2005
June is already here and biennium close is right around the corner. For more information regarding the cutoff dates for placing orders click on the title above.

Import Alert!
Feb 16, 2005
Shipments to the UW from Greece subject to mandatory fumigation. For more information click on the link above.

PAS Training
Jan 11, 2005
The automated Purchasing/Accounts Payable System (PAS) is used for major purchases and services; learn how to enter requisitions, set department review flags, and how to perform an inquiry on the status of your order/payment: Dec 14.

Purchasing and Stores combined website
Oct 14, 2004
Welcome to our newly released website. Our goal is to provide you with a website that is dynamic, easy to use and informative. Please send us your feedback!

Get the news on eProcurement -
Oct 14, 2004
The first issue of eProcurement Marketplace is out. This newsletter will provide timely information and tips on how to use eProcurement to do your job. eProcurement Marketplace includes vendor catalogs, hosted catalogs, and non-catalog items. There are tips for reconciling Procurement charges on your monthly budget reports. Plus the always popular FAQs. Please let us know what information you would like to see in eProcurement Marketplace.