Current News
This page provides procurement-related news including featured stories from our Dollars & Sense newsletter, current updates related to our Preferred Vendors, and upcoming events. You can also view News Stories By Year or view Back Issues of our newsletter for more information.
Featured Stories
- Streamlining of Procurement Related Processes
- Organizational Change Announcement
- New Purchasing Documentation Process Replaces Current BD Forms & SSJ Forms
- New Procurement Standards Implemented to Comply with Uniform Guidance
- Catering with Northwestern Dining
- American Express Personal Liability Credit Card Program Discontinued
- 2018 Preferred Vendor Expo Review
- Procure to Pay Information Session
- Credit Card Fraud Alert
Regular Features
New Contracts
Procurement and Payment Services (PPS) conducts many Invitations to Bid to establish contracts for use by departments and schools. These contracts may be for use by all departments and schools, which are Preferred Vendors, or they may be contracts for use by specific departments and schools. Contracts are established based on the results of a formal, competitive Invitation to
New Document and Media Shredding Contract Awarded |
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With help from a University wide evaluation committee, Procurement and Payment Services completed an RFP for a new service provider for the destruction of information and media materials. Iron Mountain has been awarded the new contract as they presented the overall best cost-effective and compliant proposal. PPS is currently working on the contracting process as well as designing a new centralized billing program for shredding services going forward. Schools and Departments will be getting more information when the contract is fully executed and the transition phase begins. Please contact Kim Li with any questions at kimberly.li@northwestern.edu or 7.0837. |
New UPS Contract |
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For years Northwestern has taken advantage of the E&I contract with FedEX for our shipping rates. E&I is a not-for-profit purchasing cooperative serving education. This year, E&I put their shipping contract out to bid and awarded the contract to UPS. We have signed up with E&I to take advantage of the new UPS contract. The UPS rates for all services offered, ground, next day morning, next day standard and 2 day air, are typically less than the former E&I contract with FedEx. This is particularly true for ground, lighter weight next day air, next day standard and second day air. FedEx, not wanting to lose business to UPS, put Northwestern under their Educational Pricing, which is very close, and in some cases better than the rates we had with FedEx under their E&I contract. What does mean for Northwestern shippers? If you currently ship with FedEx, you certainly may continue to do so, and you will probably not notice a change in your rates. However, keeping budgets in mind, you might want to consider using the new rates with UPS for potential cost savings. If you currently ship with UPS, the new rates will automatically apply to your shipments. If you ship with FedEx using ShipManger, UPS offers a similar online shipping tool called CampusShip. If you are a ShipManager user, or if you are not signed up to ship online and would like access to UPS CampusShip, contact Tom Luczkowiak, t-luczkowiak@northwestern.edu, or 1.8411 to get signed up. For questions, contact Tom Luczkowiak at t-luczkowiak@northwestern.edu or 1.8411. |
Other Recent Contracts Established by PPS |
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Changes to Existing Contracts
Updates to existing contracts established by Procurement and Payment Services (PPS) may include new contact information for dedicated representatives, service updates, and newly available products. For questions about these updates, please view the individual vendor pages on the Preferred Vendor List or contact PPS at 847.491.8120 or procurement@northwestern.edu.
Recent Changes Made to Contracts Established by PPS |
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External Caterer Enhancements |
2019 Chicago Hotel Rates |
Dell Customer Service Representative |
Haworth/Kayhan Account Team Primary Point of Contact: Becky Schmid, NCIDQ Anne Maxwell Mary Basel Christopher |
Farmer’s Fridge Vending Promotion |
Contracts We're Working On
Procurement and Payment Services (PPS) is always working to establish Preferred Vendor contracts that best serve the needs of all Northwestern departments and schools. These are a combination of new contracts and timely rebids of current contracts. For questions about these or other bids, please contact PPS at 847.491.8120 or procurement@northwestern.edu.
- School of Communication - CRM Software
- Registrar’s Office - International Credential Evaluation, Articulation, Translation Services
- AV Vendor Master Service Agreements
- Student Renter's Insurance
- Life Safety Maintenance Program
- Patent Prosecution/IP Legal Services
- Laboratory Reference Testing
- Carpet and flooring
- Grease trap cleaning
- Signage
- Computer recycling
- Banking
- Copier Management
- IT services prequalified list
- Printing prequalified list
- Staffing prequalified list
- Construction prequalified list
Sustainability Highlights
Ready Refresh Site Visits |
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Northwestern University’s Preferred Vendor for drinking water, ReadyRefresh (Ice Mountain) is conducting on-campus site visits to help determine locations that would benefit from utilizing a filtration system in lieu of bottled water services. The filtration system not only supports our green initiatives (reduction in fleet footprint, gas usage, emissions, etc.) but can also provide significant cost savings. Filtration benefits:
The site visit is a short inspection and will help calculate total possible cost savings. If you’d like to schedule a visit, please contact Tony Cayton at 847.493.9739 and tony.cayton@waters.nestle.com. If you have any questions about this contract, contact Procurement Administrator Julie Maul at 847.491.5321 or julie.maul@northwestern.edu. |
Flavia, a better choice than Keurig |
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Flavia offers a full menu of popular workplace drinks, coffees, real-leaf teas, chocolates, cappuccinos, lattes, specialty froths and authentic barista espressos; including brands such as Peet's and Starbucks. Flavia was designed to be an “at work” coffee system and not a “at home system,” so Freshpacks will stay at work, which will helps control spend. Mark Vend Co. is committed to helping Northwestern meet its sustainability goals, and offers the Recycle Your Freshpacks program. This program provides innovative recycling and prevents millions of single serve Freshpacks from ending up in a landfill at no additional cost to Northwestern. In addition to the lower unit cost and recycling program, if your department makes the switch to Flavia, your department automatically qualifies for our 4th Month FREE coffee program. Please contact Mark Vend Company if you are interested in learning more about Flavia. |
Northwestern Releases a Comprehensive Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan |
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Northwestern launched its first Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan (ISWMP) aimed at reducing waste and protecting the environment by taking a greener approach to waste management. Learn more > |
Business Diversity Highlights
Local Suppliers Attend Meet and Greet |
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Procurement and Payment Services hosted a series of Meet and Greet sessions with local businesses seeking opportunities to partner with our new food service provider, Compass Group. Over 25 businesses from the Evanston and Chicago area met with Compass and Northwestern to introduce their businesses and discuss partnership ideas. Along with the great Compass brands, you will soon find other recognizable local brands on campus. Northwestern and Compass are working collaboratively to boost economic viability of food service companies in the Evanston and Chicago region. The partnership agreement between Compass and Northwestern outlines our commitment to jointly work on efforts to help small businesses and report progress towards goals annually. The local Meet and Greet Series is one step towards that goal. The objective is to host Local “Meet and Greet” events quarterly to promote the involvement of small business on Northwestern’s campus. Questions about Procurement Diversity? Contact Gwen Turner, Procurement Diversity Director, at gwendolyn.turner@northwestern.edu or 847.467.6333 |
Wildcard Advantage Updates & Employee Discounts
New Wildcard Advantage businesses:
Business | Category | Campus | Discount/Offer |
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Chicago Hot Dog & Co. | Food & Restaurants | EV | 10% off |
CloseKnit Yarn Store | Arts, Crafts, & Hobbies | EV | 10% off |
Eat Purely |
Food & Restaurants | CH | 10% off |
Evanston Dental Associates | Health Care | EV |
15% new patients with Dr. Adina Silberman
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Food & Restaurants | EV |
10% off | |
Hotel Versey Days Inn by Wyndham Chicago | Travel Supplies & Services | CH | 20% off best available daily rate |
Ice House Gallery | Entertainment & Museums | EV | 10% off art purchases |
New City Moving | Professional Services | CH | 10% off |
OmniFit Personal Training & Nutrition | Professional Services | EV | 10% off, free consultation |
Orange Skin | Home Furnishings & Maintenance | CH | 15% off furniture and lighting |
Practical Angle | Home Furnishings & Maintenance | CH | 20% off |
The Cellar at the Stained Glass | Food & Restaurants | EV |
10% off total bill |
World of Beer Evanston | Food & Restaurants | EV |
10% off meal |
- Visit the Wildcard Advantage Program website for the full list of participating businesses
- Follow us on Twitter for the latest updates
- Check us out on the
NUhelp app or click on "Discounts" on the official Northwestern Mobile app
General Reminders
Some things to keep in mind for Fall 2018:
Supplier Request Tips |
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For supplier request questions, contact Vendor File Management at vendorprocessing@northwestern.edu or 1.4707, or the Northwestern IT Help Desk at consultant@northwestern.edu or 1.4357. |
Purchase Order Change Request Tips |
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Departments and schools are able to edit their POs using the ‘Add/Update POs' page in NUFinancials. Cancel or Close requests are submitted using the ‘PO Change Request Form’. Below are helpful hints to keep in mind while completing a change, or submitting a cancel or close request:
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Furniture Repair Requests |
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If you have a chair that is damaged or in need of repair, contact Northwestern Procurement Administrator Laura Norton for assistance. Please provide a photo of the damage (e.g. broken arm pad), along with a photo of the label that is on the underside of the chair. Laura can be reached at laura.norton@northwestern.edu or 7.3345. |
Winter Recess Coverage |
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Northwestern recently announced a Winter Recess period beginning December 24, |