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Things You Should Know When Ordering Office Furniture

August 21, 2017

New contracts for office furniture were established June 1, 2016, based on a competitive Request for Proposal process. Key stakeholders were on the evaluation committee. Three Preferred Vendor contracts were established:

  • Kayhan – Haworth
  • Henricksen – Allsteel
  • Interior Investments – Herman Miller

A fourth contract was also established with Forward Space, for use only to supplement existing Steelcase installations on campus.

Below are important things to know when buying office furniture:

Project types and expectations

Description of product types and entities involved
Project Type Description  Entities Involved
Individual furniture pieces Individual pieces of furniture, no design services End-user / Vendor
Small individual office layout Furniture needed for individual staff office, some design services
 End-user / Vendor
Small individual office layout, executive Furniture needed for individual executive office, some design services, and project coordination End-user / Vendor / FM
Mid-size office layout Furniture needed for individual offices and workstations, design services, and project coordination End-user / Vendor / FM
Large project Furniture needed for new building or major renovation, significant design services, and project coordination End-user / Vendor / FM / Architect

Timeline Expectations

Timeline expectations by project size and phase
Project Size Project Phase Expected Timeframe
Individual furniture pieces Examples: chairs, tables, file cabinets, desks
  • Use preferred vendor catalogs in iBuyNU
  • Delivery expectations for all three preferred vendors are 2-3 weeks after receipt of order
Small individual office layout (quick ship)  Design
Production
Delivery/Install
Total
 1 week
2-3 weeks
1 week
4-5 weeks
Small individual office layout (standard delivery) Design
Production
Delivery/Install
Total		 1 week
4-6 weeks
1 week
6-8 weeks
Mid-size, multiple office layout (quick ship) Design
Production
Delivery/Install
Total		 2-4 weeks
2-3 weeks
1-2 weeks
5-9 weeks
Mid-size, multiple office layout (standard lead time) Design
Production
Delivery/Install
Total		 2-4 weeks
4-6 weeks
1-2 weeks
7-12 weeks
Large project  Furniture needed for new building or major renovation
  • Significant design services and project coordination needed
  • Project management: Facilities Management
  • Design: Architect and furniture vendors
  • Process expectations:
    • Bids are usually solicited from all three Preferred Vendors
    • Determine by when furniture needs to be delivered and installed in order to ensure the overall project schedule is met
    • Work backward to determine when design needs to be completed and when purchase order for furniture needs to be issued

Other things to consider

  • Office furniture is a made-to-order industry
  • Planning is necessary, especially when design and installation are involved
  • Identify primary points of contact for department/school
  • Clearly identify roles
  • Establish expectations at beginning of the project
  • Timely communication is a must between all parties involved

Service charges

Service charges by vendor
Services Kayhan Henricksen Interior Investments
Regular delivery and installation $113/hr

Mon-Fri: 7am-3:30pm		 $122.95/hr

Mon-Fri: 7am-3:30pm		 16.8% of product cost (as part of the contract)

Delivery during regular hours on the standard NU delivery day (consolidated deliveries around campus)
 Overtime $165/hr

Saturday: 7am-3:30pm		 $165.10/hr

Mon-Fri: before 7am & after 3:30pm

Sat: 7am-3:30pm
 $160/hr (4-hr min)

Saturday the first eight hours worked between 7am-3:30pm, also the ninth & tenth hour worked Monday through Friday
Double Time $175/hr

All hours worked outside of regular & Saturday, plus all day Sunday		 $186.10/hr

Sat: before 7am & after 3:30pm

All day Sunday		 $196/hr (4-hr min)

All after-hour work Monday through Saturday and all day Sunday
 Other 1-2 Quantities:
  • Keyboards @ $113
  • Chairs @ $52
  • Storage (files, ped) @ $113

3+ Quantities:
  • Quoted project based
  • Dedicated delivery dates, Tues & Thurs

Other Items:
  • Quoted project based
 Truck/delivery charge: $125/ea Premium Delivery:
  • 20% of product cost
  • Delivery within 24hrs of product receipt
  • Needing delivery on a day other than the standard NU delivery day
  • Int Inv will typically check with the dept to see if they can work with the standard NU delivery day to save on costs, and most agree

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