MISSION AND VISION STATEMENTS

Purchasing, MDS, and SWAP

Vital Statistics

Mission Statement
The Purchasing Services Department exists to provide the University with effective and responsive, life cycle procurement practices, including ultimate asset disposal.

Services Provided:

• Provide expert purchasing knowledge for specific commodities or provide a path to product knowledge by teaming with on-campus knowledge sources, or unbiased external sources.
• Provide a campus knowledge source for contracting techniques, law, and ethics for all University procurement.
• Promote vendor/University relationships, which encourage vendors to seek out business with the University. As required by law, adhere to affirmative action goals established for Minority and Woman Business participation in our business.
• Perform the buying functions in a manner that provides for the lowest Total Cost to the University. In addition to product and service life cycle cost considerations, we will consider procurement cycle transaction costs in the calculation of Total Cost.
• Develop contracts with the goal of: A) Eliminating purchase duplication/fragmentation; B) Enabling consolidation of requirements to take advantage of quantity discounts in materials and freight when available; C) To centralize vendor/University relationships for purposes of reducing transaction costs to both parties, translating into purchase and transaction savings; D) To establish enhanced service response from the contracted vendors.
• Where possible, develop standards for commodities to ensure product quality (life cycle cost) or public safety.
• Facilitate in an integrated fashion, the expedient flow of goods, paperwork, and information required by the various departments to perform their functions. Provide campus customers with intuitive Web-based tools that will aid them in finding the best procurement solution to their need. Implement new software enhancements in an integrated fashion, with maximum effectiveness.
• The procurement and supply functions provided by our operations will produce sufficient savings to pay all costs of operation.
• Maintain centralized contracting and inventory records for the purpose of providing internal control over the procurement cycle. This includes the auditability of price and terms of purchase, budgetary authorization, warranty information, contractual obligations and adherence to state and federal regulations.
• Develop written policies and procedures and the means of educating our customers and vendors. Ensure policies and procedures are not unnecessarily burdensome or otherwise ineffective.
• Provide for the timely, orderly, and most beneficial means of disposing or redistributing surplus property and accounting for University assets.