September 14, 2011
eProcurement hosts Supplier Showcase at Gould Hall
The eProcurement Supplier Showcase will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20, on the main floor of Gould Hall.
Campus staffers who are responsible for purchasing products might want to mark Tuesday, Sept. 20 on their calendars. Thats the day that Procurement Services will be hosting the eProcurement Supplier Showcase, slated for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the main floor of Gould Hall.
The showcase will bring to campus representatives of the companies from whom goods and services can be purchased, and the staff of the eProcurement Program will be there as well.
eProcurement is the electronic purchasing platform for the University. Designated users can go to a website, log in using their UWNetID and make purchases online. There are 32 suppliers on the site, offering everything from paper to furniture to graduated cylinders.
“Weve created individual catalogs for each one of these suppliers,” said Carla Helm, associate director for strategic sourcing in Procurement Services. “Then when you go in and place an order, it recognizes you as a UW employee. The pricing in there is only available to campus customers.”
There are currently about 8,000 transactions worth a collective $3.3 million being made each month using eProcurement, which has been around for eight years — with suppliers continually being added to the system. The University has negotiated contracts with each of these suppliers, allowing staff to purchase items at discounted rates.
“Buying through eProcurement is safe, cost effective and efficient,” said David Wright, director of communications for Procurement Services.
“Placing an order through eProcurement is about a third of the cost in terms of overall manpower to do an order as opposed to doing it through our legacy system,” Helm added.
At the showcase, representatives of each eProcurement supplier will be staffing a table showing examples of their products and services. Light refreshments will be served. Procurement Services staff will be on hand to help attendees get a better understanding of how to use eProcurement efficiently while saving money.
This is the first time that Procurement Services has held the showcase, but if all goes well it will become an annual event. For more information, contact Helm at 206-543-8056 or chelm@u.washington.edu.
