Alternative Suppliers

Despite the many benefits of purchasing from University-wide Contracted Suppliers, occasionally, a University-wide Contracted Supplier cannot provide the good or a technical equivalent, the service, or may not be able to meet or beat a competitor's price.

A competitor to a University-wide Contracted Supplier, may have the lower cost due to one of the following items:

the competitor is running an inventory-clearing special
it is a "grey market" item being resold possibly without warranty
it is an infrequently purchased by others at the University. (University-wide contracts offer the best deals on the highest-demand products.)

Choosing a Supplier

While managing your department budget and seeking lowest cost items is a priority for the University, it is also important to consider other purchasing factors such as quality, warranty, shipping, in-country purchases, or other items that may impact cost. We encourage all purchasers to look for best value goods and services and weigh the risks of using a non-University-wide Contracted Supplier (for a one-time purchase or for a temporarily reduced price) versus the benefits of using a University-wide Contracted Supplier.

Use the following chart to assess risks versus benefits when choosing the right supplier and purchasing mechanism.

Chart to assess risks versus benefits when choosing the right supplier and purchasing mechanism.

Risk	University-wide Contracted Suppliers¹	Alternate Suppliers
Risk	University-wide Contracted Suppliers¹	less than $3,000 purchased via OneCard²	$15,000 or less purchased via PantherExpress System non-catalog PO³	over $15,000 purchased via PantherExpress System non-catalog PO⁴
Risk of excess negotiation, order processing time, or accounting time	Low	Medium	Medium	High
Risk of fraud or misrepresentation (is the supplier reputable?)	Low	Medium	Medium	Low
Risk of not achieving the best fit for specialized technical requirements	Medium	Low	Low	Low
Risk of extra or surprise delivery charges	Low	Medium	Medium	Medium
Risk of warranty not being honored	Low	Medium	Medium	Low
Risk of inability to return incorrect orders or damaged goods	Low	Medium - High	Medium	Medium
Risk of regulatory noncompliance: environmental, health and safety tracking	Low	High	Medium	Low
Risk of regulatory noncompliance: import/export controls	Low	High	Medium	Low
Risk of litigation or loss in a law-suit	Low	High	Medium	Medium
Risk of goods or services provided from outside the U.S.	Low	High	Medium	Medium
Risk of sharing PII or PHI, FERPA data, payment card data, supplier network access⁵	Low	High	High	High
Risk of supplier direct contact with minors.	Low	High	Medium	Medium

¹ Supplier vetted, with pre-negotiated terms.
² OneCard purchases (see restrictions) carry very limited contractual protections, and require post-purchase and reconciliations.
³ If supplier is not already established in University's systems, you must send a supplier verification form along with an IRS form W9/W8 from the supplier in order to establish in the PantherExpress Syste,. To meet federal and state regulations, competitive quotes or bidding process may be required. The University's standard purchase order and services agreement carry approved contractual protections.
⁴ Same as footnote three above, however, review by Purchasing Services (and further negotiations) reduces some of the risks.
⁵ Personally identifiable information (PII), protected health information (PHI).

If you think that the item has potential to be purchased frequently by many University departments, please submit an inquiry to Purchase, Pay and Travel Customer Service to request a reassessment of pricing or to determine whether the item can be added by a University-wide Contracted Supplier.

Purchasing Methods

Purchases from suppliers who are not University-wide Contracted Suppliers should be made using one of the PantherExpress System forms. Goods purchases are typically made on Standard Forms whereas services purchases are typically on one of the Specialty Forms, namely the Services Agreement Short Form (Domestic) for $15,000 and under and in Contracts+ for services valued over $15,000.