News about Procurement's contributions to budget deficit reduction and the market pay initiative.

VOL 2 | FALL 2024

KU Procurement is dedicated to helping you find and purchase the right products and services through strategic sourcing while ensuring policy compliance. Please see some examples below of how Procurement can assist. Then, tap into our purchasing expertise using the Procurement Request tiles at Finance Client Portal FSP Home. 

Emma HQ has been selected as the campuswide solution to manage all KU email campaigns, which necessitates migrating away from competing tools. In partnership with the Provost's Office, Procurement’s Luke Raynor has been coordinating the campuswide consolidation to Emma HQ and, in the process, generating a net savings of more than $23,000 for the university and individual units. Please contact itcoms@ku.edu to learn more about Emma HQ. 

Luke Raynor negotiated $24,000 in incremental savings off a half-million dollar Dell order for a School of Engineering PC refresh. While KU already receives lower catalog pricing from Dell, Luke was able to work directly with our Dell rep to maximize the discounts given the massive order size. Luke’s efforts illustrate the ability to obtain additional pricing concessions even when there is already a contract in place. 

Upon learning that our industrial water treatment supplier was unexpectedly trying to take a substantial rate hike, Procurement Officer Julie Bellucci stepped in and negotiated a more reasonable uplift that resulted in approximately $30,000 in annual cost avoidance for Facilities Services. In recent months, Julie was also able to avoid annual price increases when renewing contracts for paving excavation, hazardous material abatement and pest control at the Lawrence campus, along with snow removal at the Edwards campus and custodial services at Jayhawk Central. 

Julie Bellucci oversaw a competitive bid for two new boilers at the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center (KLETC). The RFP process drove the cost of the boilers down by almost $15,000 against the initial quote. KLETC was able to use the supplier they’d originally identified, while Procurement ensured the final pricing was market competitive.

Procurement Officer Carla Swoyer recently leveraged a consortium agreement to save Facilities Services almost $4,000 over their original quote for two new Kubota diesel utility vehicles. To wrap things up, Carla also saved KU and the supplier nearly $1,000 in combined processing fees by setting up the supplier for ACH payments. 

KU Landscape Manager Joe Fearn celebrated Carla’s efforts, saying, “Wow. I LOVE and RESPECT you looking out for our vendor regarding payment options that will save them big money. Great work. Not only have you saved KU money, but you are assisting the vendor in keeping more. As a taxpayer of Kansas, I appreciate it and applaud you.” 

Facilities Services needed to make an unexpected repair to a pre-owned box truck purchased from a KU-contracted fleet provider. Unfortunately, the engine power train needed to be fixed and it was outside of warranty coverage, resulting in an expenditure of over $8,400. Leveraging the longstanding relationship, Carla Swoyer was able to get the fleet company to split the cost of the repair and issue a $4,200 refund check to the department. 

A faculty member was hired in spring 2024 with a July 1 start date and was eager to start the process of making large purchases needed to set up his lab. In the months leading up to his appointment, he partnered with Ramia Whitecotton in Procurement and his SSC contact, and together they were able to get a timely release of his start-up funds, ensure compliance with procurement policies and obtain a quick legal review of purchasing documents. Doing the leg work in advance of his appointment minimized delays in establishing his lab.

Ramia Whitecotton recently oversaw a Digital Marketing RFP for online university academic degree programs. After quickly whittling down a whopping 28 bid responses, separating the contenders from the pretenders and ultimately identifying a frontrunner that best met the needs of Enrollment Marketing and Communications, Ramia negotiated some additional incentives, including a 1% reduction of management fees, a performance guaranty tied to enrollment increases and a cap on annual rate hikes. 

Associate Chief Procurement Officer Ben Lizak recently partnered with Angie Loving in Human Resources to create a KBOR discount program with the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). HR professionals at any KBOR institution can now obtain discounts of more than 30% on key professional development offerings from SHRM. Please see the SHRM/KBOR microsite for more details.

Ben Lizak oversaw an RFP on behalf of Operations for uniform program management, which led to the selection of Cintas. Once the ordering platform has been implemented, Facilities staff members will have access to a wide portfolio of KU Operations-labeled uniforms and accessories, including offerings from popular brands like Nike and Carhartt. The uniforms will be shipped right to their homes at no additional cost to KU. The ordering process will be greatly simplified and streamlined in comparison to the prior methods while remaining entirely cost neutral to KU Operations’ budget. 

Purchasing Agent Carey Keo partnered with Procurement leadership and Amazon to improve the Amazon Business shopping experience. This month, Procurement “re-implemented” Amazon Business to relax prior restrictions and provide more precise messaging for items that remain blocked. Now, blocked items are limited to those where an alternate catalog is required (mandatory use catalogs), a separate approval is required prior to purchase, or purchase of such an item would likely be inappropriate or absent a reasonable business justification. You can submit requests to unblock items to carey_keo@ku.edu for review.

Procurement does not have the ability to view Amazon Business order history across campus. Purchasers can obtain shipping and delivery updates via their own KU Amazon Business account or by reaching out to Amazon directly at 866-486-2360. To obtain Amazon Business shopper access in FITC, please contact fin411@ku.edu. You will be asked to complete shopper training first. 

This is just a glimpse of how Procurement can be your strategic partner in driving value for your department and the university. Visit the Finance Service Portal today, and let us know how we can help.

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