Cost Saving Initiatives
August 7, 2019
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. The identified procurement cost saving initiatives are as follows:
- Office Furniture – Explore consolidation and standardization to optimize pricing.
- Print Management – An Invitation to Bid is underway to select a single provider to manage the entire fleet of multi-function printers on campus, with rollout occurring as contracts expire. A standardized list of options will be used from the same manufacturer. The new program will also reduce number of desktop printers on campus. Read more about this ITB in our Print Management Services article.
- Send-Suite Software – This new software solution will be rolled out to campus allowing the easy comparison of outgoing shipping rates from FedEx, UPS, and the US Post Office can be easily compared so the most cost effective method can be selected.
- Maintenance, Repair, Operational (MRO) supplies – We will negotiate for improved pricing and to extend contracts with current partners.
- Printing – In partnership with the Office of Global Marketing and Communications, an Invitation to Bid has been issued to establish a new pre-qualified list of external printers.
It is important to remember that departments and schools should always utilize Preferred Vendors and the iBuyNU Marketplace whenever possible.
To learn more about cost-saving strategies and ideas for your unit or department, reference our Cost Containment Strategies & Ideas article. If you have questions or comments about the procurement cost containment initiatives, please contact Procurement at procurement@northwestern.edu or 847.491.8120