To: MOU Financial Leads, University Business Managers
From: Martha Pendergrass, Director of Procurement Services
Procurement is embarking on a new initiative to engage campus involvement earlier in the purchasing process. The initiative, which emphasizes category management, is aimed to connect you with our purchasing staff earlier in the purchasing process – and saving your school or department time and money.
When considering a purchase of more than $5,000, please reach out to us as early as possible. Here’s why:
- Statistics indicate that early engagement at UNC-Chapel Hill produces dollar savings for the department.
- Contacting purchasing early in your purchasing process allows our staff to use competitive pricing to save you money.
We’ve developed a simple new tool to help you connect with the purchasing agent that’s best-suited for each need. The Purchasing Engagement Tool, found on the Purchasing Services webpage, is organized by categories of what you wish to purchase and by general school/departments. You can search either way and then connect with our staff by phone, email or Skype for Business.
In addition to the new tool, our staff will contact your school/department in the coming weeks to schedule a visit. We hope that by sharing recent purchasing data specific to your school/department, we can be a resource for you. We look forward to a collaborative, information-gathering session that focuses on your needs.
If you have any questions or would like an earlier visit, contact Bernard Law, 919-962-3774 or blaw@email.unc.edu.