Office Supply Purchasing Policy

I. General Policy Statement

This policy governs the purchase of certain general office supplies and paper with University funds. This policy applies to all University colleges, schools, and business departments located on the Syracuse Campus or in the City of Syracuse. The policy is encouraged for units operating outside the City of Syracuse, and for units purchasing office supplies with sponsored funding.

II. Reason for Policy/Purpose

This Policy provides University approved methods which ensure that high quality office supplies are procured in a consistent, cost effective, and efficient manner to meet our business needs. It is intended to enable University employees to spend the minimum amount of time shopping for supplies while receiving the best prices possible.

III. Policy

The University has selected W.B. Mason as its primary office supply vendor, which is accessed through the Purchasing Department’s online marketplace, the eProcurement (“ePro”) Direct Connect purchasing system. ePro is the University’s approved method for purchasing office supplies and paper. Purchasing approval authority in ePro is delegated to authorized faculty and staff who participate in a mandatory Office Supply Purchasing Policy and Procedure training. For a more detailed description of ePro, see the “Definitions” section in the Appendix below.

All standard office paper for copiers and printers will be available through ePro, with next day, desktop delivery. Any logo paper should be purchased through Printing Services. All other specialty paper should be purchased through the Purchasing Department via an ePro Special Request requisition.

The items available on ePro Direct Connect represent items negotiated on contract with W.B. Mason, and in most instances, are the lowest prices available for the item across all vendor channels.

Except as specified herein, expenses incurred for purchasing office supplies through other mechanisms, including Procurement Cards (Pro-cards), personal funds and other than through the ePro system will not be reimbursed.

When an individual is traveling on official University business outside the Syracuse, New York area, Staples Advantage Retail Stores are the University’s preferred vendor for these purchases. Such purchases, if completed for official University purposes, will be reimbursed within reasonable limits.

IV. To Whom Does This Policy Apply

Select all that apply:

__X__ Students
__X__ Faculty
__X__ Staff
_____ Visitors/General Public
_____ Other___________________

V. Appendices

  1. Procedures To purchase general office supplies, including paper, the authorized personnel for each department should submit orders through ePro Direct Connect, which can be accessed through MySlice. There is no minimum order.Step-by-step instructions for submitting ePro direct connect orders are provided here. Faculty and staff who do not have access to ePro should consult with their department’s designated ePro purchaser, who is typically an administrative or office assistant, for office supplies.
  2. Definitions Departmental Authorized Personnel – duly designated administrative staff who are accountable for the department’s financial activities (chart string approver).eProcurement (“ePro”) – a PeopleSoft Financials module, accessible via MySlice. One of its features provides electronic requisitioning. The online requisitioning system can be used for order placement of goods and/or services and sends requisitions through an electronic approval process and through the University’s Purchasing Department.ePro Direct Connect – an integration to external catalogs of strategic partners for institutional purchases. This provides a direct connection to W.B. Mason’s web catalog with contract pricing.Office Supplies – as used in this Policy, include:
    • General desk hardware/supplies
    • Notebooks/binders/folders/labels
    • Writing utensils
    • Basic art supplies
    • Paper
    • Packaging/Mail Supplies

    Office supplies do NOT include:

    • Toner
    • Office machines
    • Logo paper supplies – contact Printing Services
    • Specialty Art Supplies – contact Purchasing Department
    • Furniture – contact Purchasing Department
    • Facilities – contact Purchasing Department
    • Space Heaters – contact Energy Systems & Sustainability Management (ESSM)
    • Vending – contact Vending Services

    Printing Services – Printing Services is a University offset printing plant. They offer an online shopping cart, which features stationery items.

    Purchasing Specialist – a designated buyer within the University’s Purchasing Department.

  3. Training Office Supply Purchasing Policy and Procedure training is mandatory for all ePro users and will be provided regularly for new employee users and for existing employees who are transitioning into a new role requiring ePro access.

Date: December 18, 2015