Policy for the Purchases of Office Supplies

Office Supply Purchase Policy: With limited exception (see below), office supply purchases are to be made through a single vendor.

Rationale: Consolidating office supply purchases with one vendor provides the following benefits:

• competitively lower prices
• a complete selection of supplies
• reduced inventory levels and related costs
• reasonable levels of popular items in the bookstore
• rapid delivery of items not stocked by the bookstore
• more judicious use of employees' time.

  Vendor: Calvin College has contracted with Corporate Express for the provision of office supplies campus-wide. This arrangement will be reviewed on a periodic basis to ensure that Calvin's expectations are being met in regard to pricing and quality of both product and service.

  Office Supply Purchase Process: Corporate Express catalogs are provided to every department. Anyone who desires to have a catalog may request one from the bookstore.

  Each department has a designated person who places all orders with Corporate Express via the Internet. In order to place an order for office supplies, please speak with your department representative.

  One should find that any product can be purchased through Corporate Express at a lower price than anywhere else. However, there are times when a product can be found at a lower price elsewhere. Should that situation arise, one must contact the bookstore (Gretchen Boerma, X6579) to determine whether Corporate Express can meet or beat that price (do not call Corporate Express directly). In most cases, Corporate Express will adjust its pricing for that product and it can be obtained through them. However, even if Corporate Express cannot adjust its price sufficient to meet or beat a competitor's price, one should give due consideration to the additional costs incurred to obtain the product from a competitor store relative to the convenience of product delivered directly to departmental offices on a 24 hour basis. In short, purchases from vendors other than Corporate Express should almost never occur.