Penn Purchasing Services
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Educational & Institutional Cooperative Service (E&I)

A University Strategic Alliance Partner for Collaborative Buying Services

The Educational & Institutional Cooperative Service (E&I), the only collaborative buying organization dedicated to higher education, is a Purchasing Services strategic alliance business partner. Working collaboratively with E&I enables Purchasing Services to aggregate Penn's annual purchase volume with other peer institutions in order to maximize contracting and cost savings opportunities, increase its capacity and results without added cost to the institution, and redeploy staff resources to higher-yield opportunities.

Contracting Initiatives

Purchasing Services staff members participate in various sourcing projects and commodity teams that have the potential to benefit the University.

Purchasing Services evaluates each newly announced E&I competitively bid contract for its competitiveness to existing Penn pricing. Purchasing Services will adopt and implement each new E&I competitively bid contract when the E&I contract supplier pricing and or business terms and conditions are favorable to the University.

In addition to contracting opportunities, the E&I strategic alliance enables Purchasing Services to add E&I contract suppliers to the Penn Marketplace, at no cost to the University, as a result of E&I's strategic business relationship with SciQuest Incorporated.

The following E&I contract suppliers have been enabled in the Penn Marketplace.

E&I Contract Supplier Commodity
Airgas Industrial, Medical & Research Gases
Beckman Coulter Centrifuges
Digital Intelligent Systems (DISYS) HP Printer & Toner Cartridges
Enterprise Car Rental
Fisher Scientific Research Equipment & Supplies (Northeast Region Contract)
GovConnection Computer Peripherals
Grainger Incorporated Facilities Maintenance Products
Hewlett Packard Computer Equipment
HireRight Incorporated Staff Management Services
IKON Office Solutions Copier & Facsimile Equipment
Specialty Underwriters Equipment Maintenance Program
Thoma Incorporated Fisher Hamilton Lab Furniture
Whalen's Moving & Storage Company Faculty & Staff Relocation Services

Additional E&I contract suppliers used by Penn faculty and staff include:

  • Anthro
  • Black Box Network Services
  • Brayton International
  • Cleaning Technologies Group
  • Details (a Steelcase Design Partner)
  • Gaylord
  • Metro (a Steelcase Design Partner)
  • Sexauer
  • Turnstone (a Steelcase Company)
  • Vecta (a Steelcase Design Partner)
  • Xerox Corporation

Contracting Initiatives

In calendar year 2007, the University of Pennsylvania ranked #1 in member purchases (excluding purchasing card spend), with total purchases of $17,884,208, an increase of 58% versus calendar year 2006.

In calendar year 2006, the University of Pennsylvania ranked #2 in member purchases, with total purchases of $11,310,012, an increase of 408% versus calendar year 2005.

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