Penn Purchasing Services
University of Pennsylvania
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Procure-to-Pay
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The Penn Marketplace

The Penn Marketplace provides an efficient and user friendly process for ordering most commonly required products and services from University contract and preferred suppliers. Hosted by SciQuest Incorporated, the Penn Marketplace streamlines the campus-wide buying process, maximizes strategic supplier relationships, reduces purchasing costs, and increases customer satisfaction.

The Penn Marketplace contains online catalog content from many of the University's contract suppliers and selected preferred non-contract suppliers. Use of the Penn Marketplace reduces time and effort related to purchase order creation, reduces order cycle time, increases the accuracy of purchase order and invoice data, increases utilization of our preferred and contract suppliers resulting in lower costs for the most commonly ordered products and services. Increased business opportunity also enables our top suppliers to invest in the Penn business relationship, both financial in lower costs and value added services, as well as the commitment of resources and technology to ensure an efficient and effective purchase-to-pay process for faculty and staff. Over the past year, purchases from Penn Marketplace suppliers represent over 70% of all purchase orders issued through the BEN Buys Purchasing System.

The Penn Marketplace delivers significant return-on-investment by enabling Purchasing Services to influence buying decisions and significantly improve spend management while offering a better purchasing experiencing by:

  • Promoting contract and preferred suppliers to increase contract compliance
  • Improving usability of the purchasing system
  • Reducing non-catalog requisitions
  • Identifying new savings opportunities

To shop at the Penn Marketplace, authorized users must login to the BEN Buys Purchasing System.

Supplier Recruitment Strategy

Purchasing Services actively recruits contract suppliers and emerging preferred suppliers for inclusion in the Penn Marketplace. Preferred contract suppliers that offer value added benefits or have made a financial commitment above and beyond Penn discount pricing are classified as "strategic contract suppliers" and their content is prioritized in the marketplace search results. While Penn preferred contract suppliers have formal discount pricing agreements in place with the University, they may also offer special quotes in response to large volume one-time purchase requests or changing market conditions that may produce favorable discounting opportunities. Preferred suppliers are recruited based on their potential for increased purchase activity which may result in potential discount pricing opportunities. Local community based and diversity suppliers are also actively recruited in support of the University's commitment to economic inclusion.

Suppliers and manufacturers participating in the Penn Marketplace are eligible to join the Supplier Showcase, a Penn specific "electronic storefront" for supplier internal marketing to faculty and staff.

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