Current News

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 Bid process. See the Preferred Vendor List for more information on all vendor 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.  

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.

• Office Supplies Products - Current re-bid in process
• Shuttle Service - Current re-bid in process
• Alumni Relations and Development CRM Analytics Partner RFP
• Northwestern IT Secure Enclave RFP
• Northwestern IT Data Protection Platform RFP
• Housing Management Software Vendor Evaluation
• PC Hardware Preferred Vendor Evaluation
• Safety & Security Video Storage Vendor Evaluation
• Risk Management RMIS RFP
• Northwestern IT Load Balancing RFP
• Magazine Design for Kellogg School of Management and Feinberg School of Medicine
• Book Printing for Northwestern Press
• Laundry equipment & maintenance for student housing
• Refresh of Facilities Pre-Qualified Vendor Program
• Refresh of Pre-Qualified List of Staffing Firms
• Travel Partner RFP

Northwestern Expands Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure to the Chicago Campus

To increase access to sustainable transportation options, Northwestern installed four new electric vehicle (EV) charging stations on the Chicago campus, allowing eight vehicles to charge simultaneously. These charging stations, strategically placed in the Huron Superior and Erie Ontario parking garages, demonstrate the University’s commitment to fostering environmentally conscious practices and supporting the growing prevalence of electric vehicles. These new charging stations complement the existing 8 stations in Evanston campus parking garages. Read more about how to locate and use the chargers here! 

Wildcard Advantage Program: New and Improved

The Wildcard Advantage Program is a free discount program that gives businesses the opportunity to provide deals and discounts to the Northwestern community. We are pleased to announce that we are refreshing the program in phases to include up to date businesses with current promotions while focusing on local and diverse vendors. If you have any questions, please contact Peter Braithwaite, our Director of Procurement Diversity and Community Engagement, at peter.braithwaite@northwestern.edu.

Exempt or Not Exempt, that is the Question

Northwestern University is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, coeducational institution that is exempt from Sales Tax, Use Tax, Retailer's Occupation Tax, Service Occupation Tax (both state and local), and Service Use Tax in the State of Illinois.

What does this mean to you? Here are some helpful FAQs:

• If you are buying an item or "good" for use at work, you could use a one-time tax form for that purchase so that you don't have to pay the sales tax. This could mean flowers for an event or lunch for a meeting. Of course, please first make sure that our iBuyNU catalogs do not have what you need before you buy elsewhere.
• If you are traveling on University business, sales tax on your meals is reimbursable.
• Northwestern is not exempt from sleeping room/lodging taxes at hotels. All room taxes are reimbursable.
• If you are hosting an event at a hotel, however, Northwestern would be exempt from sales tax on purchased food and beverage, audio visual services, etc. for that event.

What is a Preferred Vendor?

A Preferred Vendor has been established by the Purchasing and Strategic Sourcing unit within the Procurement and Payment Services office for use by all departments, units, schools on campus. These vendors have been awarded a contract based on the results from a formal bid process managed by Purchasing and Strategic Sourcing. Procurement and Payment Services strongly encourages all departments, units, schools to use these Preferred Vendors. To see businesses that are preferred vendors, visit the Preferred Vendor list. A vendor that is simply in NUFinancials does not mean they are a preferred vendor.

Vendor Status in NUFinancials

Vendors that have been paid in the previous rolling 24-month period remain active in NUFinancials.  Vendors who have not been paid in that 24-month period will be automatically deactivated.  If you find an inactive vendor in the vendor table that you need to issue a Purchase Order to, you will need to request that they be reactivated in the system using the same process and form that you would use to add a new vendor.

Questions? Please contact Procurement and Payment Services at procurement@northwestern.edu.