3.1 Sourcing Order of Preference 

Rutgers strongly encourages units to purchase goods and services in this order of preference:

1. Internal supplier – University unit that provides goods or services to another University unit. UPS generally does not assist with these transactions, with the exception of a purchase order modification/change order (See 5.0 Ordering Goods and Services). To access the internal supplier list, units should log on to my Rutgers Portal for a complete list of active internal suppliers in RU Marketplace, using the Active IPO Search job aid for assistance. If the specific supplier is already known, units can go to Shop, and search by "IPO: vendor name". Also see Submit an Internal Purchase Order.

2. University Contracted Supplier – When a good or service is not available from an internal supplier, then units should consider purchasing from a University-Contracted Supplier. A university-contracted supplier is a supplier with whom Rutgers has an active contract which was either competitively bid or negotiated with suppliers that meet the requirements for Waiver of Bid procurement. These agreements may also include State contracts, GSA or other federal supply contracts, or group or cooperative purchasing agreements that the university may utilize. Units may locate university-contracted suppliers by either:

 a) Checking the RU Marketplace punch-out catalog, the university’s online catalog ordering system that allows authorized users to create buying carts and place orders from many of Rutgers’ contracted suppliers. For more details, see Shop with a Punchout-Enabled Supplier and Punchout Process Instructions. 

b) Contacting one of the Procurement Teams for a listing of available contracts.

3. Other Supplier – If the above options do not meet the need of the unit, then units may consider procuring the good or service from suppliers outside of the universities preferred suppliers list. Purchasing from a supplier not included in our preferred supplier list often involves additional steps and may require the assistance of UPS. Units should refer to 3.2 Sourcing Methods below for details in procuring goods or services from a supplier that is not an internal university supplier nor an outside supplier with a university contract.