IT, AV, and Office Supplies and Related Services
Policy, Training & Related Pages
Visit the IT, AV, and Office Supplies and Related Services dashboard in the Marketplace to purchase from unique Catalog Suppliers, or submit a Goods and Services Request Form to purchase from UwPA or Non-Catalog Suppliers associated with the product category.
To learn more about the CU Marketplace, visit the Shopping in the CU Marketplace page.
Details
For assistance finding a vendor that matches your purchasing needs, visit the Columbia Blue Pages Shopping Directory to view a searchable "phone book" of recommended vendors that have agreements in place with Columbia University.
More than 150 vendors can be filtered according to product-based Commodity Codes or the following Supplier Types:
- Concur Travel Suppliers
- Marketplace Catalog Suppliers
- UwPA Suppliers
- Non-Catalog Suppliers
Columbia's preferred suppliers for purchasing Apple products are CDW and Connection—both Catalog Suppliers in the Marketplace—or you can submit a request through CUIT.
Instructions for Catalog Supplier POs
- Most purchases made from Catalog Suppliers in the CU Marketplace are auto-sourced and include electronic invoicing and expedited electronic payments.
- Any purchase over $50,000 or any Sponsored requisitions over $10,000 will require Central Purchasing approval.
- Follow the appropriate Receiving policy upon arrival of the purchase.
Instructions for UwPA Supplier POs
- The department creates a requisition via the Goods and Services Request Form in the Marketplace to process a purchase order (PO).
- To support this purchase order, only a quote/proposal is required to attach to the Goods and Services Request Form. This is the benefit of using a UwPA instead of a Non-Catalog Supplier.
Instructions for Non-Catalog Supplier POs
- Ensure the supplier is validated by Vendor Management. Use the Marketplace search bar to search the vendor's name. If the vendor's Supplier Profile populates as a selection, the supplier is approved for purchasing.
- Begin a Goods and Services Request Form in the CU Marketplace. Provide all required information, including supplier email, address, etc.
- Obtain a quote/proposal from the supplier to attach with the Goods and Services Request Form.
- Confirm the vendor’s address matches the address on the quote/proposal.
- For on-site service engagements, secure a Certificate of Insurance (COI) from Insurance and Risk Management.
- Answer the questions about sole/single-source justification as applicable when required to support supplier selection. For orders over $10,000, two competitive quotes are required; for orders over $250,000, three competitive quotes are required. For more information, visit the Columbia policy on Competitive Procurement.
- If purchasing from a foreign supplier not in US dollars, conduct a currency conversion check.
- Department will conduct an Excluded Parties List System (EPLS) check for all foreign suppliers.
- Follow the appropriate Receiving policy upon arrival of the purchase.
- Once the purchase is received, process payment by creating a PO Voucher and attaching the invoice.
It is important to note that when suppliers provide services on-site at any and all Columbia locations, their Certificate of Insurance (COI) is required prior to arrival on-site to initiate those services.
For more information about Certificates of Insurance and MOIs, visit the Insurance and Risk Management section of the Finance site.
When you import goods, contact Columbia's customs broker, DB Schenker, once the purchase order is issued. The broker will act as an intermediary between Columbia, the international vendor, and customs authorities to ensure compliance with regulations and a smooth transition into the United States. DB Schenker also provides quotes for transporting goods.
For more information about DB Schenker, visit the Customs and Tariffs page.