Contract for Office Supplies

Emily J. Hamby, C.P.M., Director

The Office Supply Contract has been awarded to three vendors. You are free to use any or all of the contracted vendors. The contract is for next day delivery directly to the departments for all commonly stocked items and within 3-5 days for special orders. A specific price was bid for approximately 250 items with a discount off list for the balance of the catalog. A Purchasing Notice is being distributed to the departments with the price details. They will also be added to our Home page.

A mini trade show will be held to allow the department users to talk to the three vendors, obtain copies of the catalog, literature etc. They will be held on July 30, 1997, 10:00 a.m. –4:00 p.m. at the Founders Gallery in the Academic Research Building at the Health Science Center and August 12, 1997 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Reitz Union Room 235. We encourage all fiscals and users to attend one of the meetings. The sales representatives will be contacting the departments but this is an opportunity to meet them all at one time.

The three successful vendors are as follows:

Boise Cascade (formerly FRC)
Mister Paper (certified MBE)
Office Depot Business Services Div. (not the store)

All of these vendors will have internet ordering capability but you will need an established account and a User ID to place orders in that manner. Until that time, please either call the Customer Service Representative or fax your order.

As Office Depot is setting up accounts and loading the “ship to’s” into their accounting system, they will be issuing the departments a Office Depot Purchasing Card which will allow the departments to receive contract pricing when shopping at an Office Depot store. You will not receive the contract pricing at a store unless you have the Purchasing Card.

It will be good at any Office Depot store, not just the one in Gainesville. The Gainesville store will maintain some records, however, for your convenience.

The University of Florida Bookstore will be having a “Stock Liquidation” sale over the next few weeks. After that time, you should not purchase routine office supplies from the bookstore but you will continue to be able to purchase books, software and other items from the technology center, and specialty logo items.

The prices from the contract vendor represent an average of 40% savings over the prices being paid previously. Purchase of routine office supplies from other vendors will require justification for being “off the contract”. Departments using LPO’s to circumvent the contract will jeopardize their ability to use LPO’s. Remember, this is a University contract to which we are legally liable. We have made a commitment to these three vendors which we expect to be honored.