Research Enterprise Newsletter - November 2008: Procurement News
As your Research Procurement Team, our mission is to help the Research Community with contract negotiations and supplier management.
Increased Discounts on Service Agreements
Procurement Services has negotiated an increase in the discounts on service agreements from the following suppliers:
- Millipore - previous discounts ranged from 8-20%; new discount is 25%
- Applied BioSystems - previous discounts ranged from 0-13%; new discount is 20%
- Bio-Rad - previous discounts ranged from 0-10%; new discount is 15%
- Molecular Devices - previous discounts ranged from 0-10%; new discount is 13%
- Thermo Fisher Scientific - previous discount was 15%; new discount for equipment installed within last 7 years is 20%
Did you know?
How to Obtain Equipment for Trial or Demo - If you are looking to demo an instrument that will be on-site for longer than a day, a "zero-dollar" requisition must be prepared which includes departmental signature approvals for the full value of the instrument and Department of Finance approval, if required, and sent to Procurement Services for processing before the instrument can be delivered. This is to ensure we have the instrument covered under our insurance policy in the event something happens to it while it's on-site. If the equipment is a major piece of equipment with a longer trial period, Procurement Services may need to work on an agreement regarding the criteria surrounding length of time, deliverables (if applicable), criteria to purchase, who pays to crate and return the equipment, etc.
When Buying Capital Equipment or a Service Contract - By involving Procurement Services early in your process of reviewing equipment, we can help solicit bids, negotiate the best total cost, and favorable Terms & Conditions (T's & C's) which would make placement of the final order go smoother. When quotes are obtained from suppliers for equipment or service agreements, they include the suppliers T's & C's. These T's & C's may have language unfavorable to Vanderbilt so it's important they are reviewed prior to order placement.
Acceptance Criteria for Equipment - If there are terms to which you desire to hold the supplier accountable when buying complex equipment, Procurement Services will work with you to put those criteria in writing and include them in the final negotiations. These acceptance terms/criteria will help ensure the complex piece of equipment you are buying will be installed and working as you expect it. Acceptance Criteria are defined in terms that are measureable, detailing what must be done for the project to be acceptable to everyone who will be using the equipment. For an example of an Acceptance Criteria worksheet, download qtacriteria.pdf.
For any questions or if you need any assistance, contact your appropriate Purchasing Agent or send an email to Michael Jessing.
