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Purchasing

The Northwestern University Procurement and Payment Services team collaborates with departments and schools to deliver best-value procurement services. Procurement and Payments Online Module

Wildcard Advantage Program

Wildcard Advantage is a free discount program, offering independent businesses the opportunity to provide and promote deals and discounts to Northwestern students, faculty, and staff.

Procurement Environment

Northwestern supports a procurement environment based on the understanding that departments and schools are in the best position to determine what they need to run their programs. Learn more about Northwestern's procurement environment and strategic sourcing.

Preferred Vendors

  • Preferred Vendors are those that have been awarded a contract by Procurement and Payment Services for use by all departments and schools. We strongly encourage departments and schools to use Preferred Vendors.
  • Centrally Billed Preferred Vendors are Preferred Vendors who through a special relationship provide services that are available for central billing. Once enrolled in the program, you can charge the service to your Northwestern chart string. See the list of central bill services available for more details.

Bid Process

If there is no Preferred Vendor for a product or service needed or if a Preferred Vendor does not meet the needs of a department or school, competitive bids may need to be solicited. See an overview of the Bid Process for more details.

Procurement Methods

See the following pages for information on Northwestern's Procurement Methods.

  • iBuyNU (catalog requisition)
  • Non-catalog Requisition
  • Blanket Order Requisition
  • Payment Request
  • Procurement Card

Approvals/Workflow

Requisitions (REQ) are budget-checked and require approval in NUFinancials prior to being sourced into a Purchase Order (PUR) and sent to the vendor. See Approvals/Workflow for information.

Receiving an Order

After receiving a product or service, a department or school may or may not be required to enter a receipt. See Receiving an Order for further instruction.

Changes to Requisitions and Purchase Orders

Follow these instructions for the proper steps to take when making changes to requisitions and purchase orders.

Resources and Tools

Use these Resources and Tools to assist you in the purchasing process.