Purchasing Services

For office supplies, lab supplies, and other general needs, use Materials Distribution Services (MDS) e-commerce.
For general purchases under $5000 not available at MDS, use your procurement card.
Check to see if goods/services are on contract.
Complete an External Requisition using the External Requisition Generator (in the Requisition and Number Generator Module on the Services tab in My UW) if MDS or the procurement card cannot be used or the items are over $5000.

For further How-To information relating to all campus business processes, see the Business Services How-To Pages.

Purchasing provides the University with effective and responsive life cycle procurement practices. See our Mission and Vision for more information.

Items of Interest

New website layout:
The Purchasing Services website has been updated with a new look and feel consistent with other areas in Business Services. We have also added the following areas to the left hand navigation menu of our site:
- An External Requisitions link has been added to direct users to Usage instructions, FAQs and help information for the External Requisition Generator, which is located in the Requisition and Number Generator Module on the Services tab in My UW.
- An Encumbrance Management section has been added including the schedule for closing POs, fiscal year end related information, and information on making changes to your POs and encumbrances through the Encumbrance and PO Management form available as an Excel document on the Purchasing Services Forms page
- A Training section detailing face-to-face training options and online documentation.
- An Information for Vendors section detailing how to do business with UW-Madison.

Purchasing Workshops Available
Purchasing has announced dates and times for all available face-to-face training sessions listed on our Training page. These sessions will start again in the fall semester and we will again be offering sessions on Processing your Requisitions and Managing your Encumbrances and How to Purchase Goods and Services: Intermediate Topics in addition to our overview sessions.
External Requisition Generator in My UW
The External Requisition Generator is located in the Requisition and Number Generator Module on the Services tab in My UW. Usage instructions, FAQs and help information are available to assist users.