Request to Add a New BEN Buys Supplier

Penn faculty and staff are responsible for initiating requests to add a new supplier to the BEN Buys Purchasing System Supplier database. Federal law mandates that the University can not do business with any supplier that has been debarred, suspended or proposed for debarment by the federal government. At no time will a supplier be added to the BEN Buys supplier database if the supplier is listed in the US Government Excluded Parties List System.

Upon receipt of the request, Purchasing Services will submit a supplier information packet consisting of a Suppler Questionnaire, W-9 Form, and the University's Purchase Order Terms & Conditions to the designated supplier representative within twenty-four (24) hours (usually the same business day) from receipt of request.

The prospective supplier must complete the Supplier Questionnaire (including acceptance of the University's Purchase Order Terms & Conditions) and W-9 Form, and submit the completed documents directly to Purchasing Services. Requests that are not complete, or if the terms and conditions are not accepted by the supplier, are rejected and the supplier will not be added to the supplier database. It is the responsibility of the prospective supplier to complete and return the fully executed documents directly to Purchasing Services in a timely manner.

If the prospective supplier offers a product or service currently available from a University preferred contract or Penn Marketplace supplier, the supplier questionnaire must be reviewed and approved by the appropriate Strategic Sourcing Manager (based on commodity responsibility). In most cases, the supplier questionnaire will not be approved and the supplier will not be entered in the BEN Buys supplier database. Purchasing Services reserves the right to decline a request to add a new supplier, if the commodity is already available from a University preferred contract or Penn Marketplace participating supplier, or if use of the supplier is deemed not to be in the best interest of the University.

At no time will a supplier be added to the BEN Buys supplier database without a properly completed supplier questionnaire and supplier's acceptance of the University's purchase order terms and conditions.