2019 News Archive

New Short Term Vehicle Rental Program

We are pleased to announce a new program for short term (1-7 day) vehicle rentals in place of the Northwestern Motor Pool. Effective August 5, 2019, faculty and staff are able to rent vehicles directly from Enterprise Car Rental.

2019 Preferred Vendor Expo
Procurement and Payment Services hosted a Preferred Vendor Expo on August 15 at Norris.

The New iBuyNU
The new iBuyNU went live on April 1. PPS continues to work with Aquiire on stabilization and enhancement projects that will make iBuyNU more efficient and user friendly.

Fiscal Year End Preparation
Procurement would like to remind staff to reference the Northwestern Fiscal Year End website for helpful information when preparing for the close of Fiscal Year 2019.

Three-way Match Requirement Change Implemented
Effective July 25, 2019 the $500 receipt requirement for non-catalog purchase orders was increased to $5,000.

Cost Saving Initiatives
Procurement and Payment Services has started to implement several initiatives with the endorsement of the Senior Vice President for Business and Finance that will utilize University-wide spend to save departments and schools money. The initiatives are considered supply chain best practices, and have been set forth in an effort to strategically utilize total University spend to save departments and schools money.

University Wide Print Management Initiative
Procurement and Payment Services has administered a formal bid for the implementation of comprehensive Print Management Services (PMS) program.

New and Improved iBuyNU is now available

We are pleased to announce that iBuyNU was updated to a new, enhanced software platform on April 1, 2019. This update makes your shopping experience more efficient by providing a more-intuitive layout and improved functionality.

MilliporeSigma closing on-site stockrooms on both campuses
MilliporeSigma will be closing their on-site stockroom programs on both campuses.  This decision was mutually reached by the vendor and the University upon review of the sales data and inventory turnover rates.  Orders for MilliporeSigma products can still be placed through iBuyNU for delivery.

Vehicle Rental Changes
We are pleased to announce that a new program to facilitate the short term rental of vehicles that used to be provided through the Northwestern Motor Pool will be coming soon.  You will be able to rent vehicles directly from Enterprise Car Rental.

Enroll with New Shredding Vendor by April 8
Procurement is pleased to announce a new Preferred Vendor contract for document shredding services with Iron Mountain Inc. This contract was awarded as a result of a formal Invitation to Bid. 

Ready Refresh Payment Method Change
A change has been made to the Ready Refresh contract to streamline the payment process and avoid match exceptions with invoices.  Blanket orders should no longer be used to purchase and pay for services with Ready Refresh.  Instead, departments and schools are now encouraged to utilize the Payment Request or Corporate Card method to pay Ready Refresh invoices.

Trademark Licensing and Promotional Products
Northwestern has exclusive rights to its name, logos, trademarks, songs, mottos, and mascots and prohibits their unauthorized use. The Trademark Licensing protects and monitors the use of the University's name and insignias. When purchasing items such as promotional products, the vendor must be licensed by the Northwestern Trademark Licensing Office.