Cooperative spirit yields cost savings

In January a committee was formed to bring this idea to fruition. The Medical Research Building Advisory Group set up three goals:

• Maximize purchase volume opportunities.
• Prepare for negotiations for contracts with vendors and research group buys.
• Utilize the expertise of the end users in each center to ensure unique and collective needs will be met as contracts are negotiated and the equipment is selected.

Serving on the committee are Marlene Balys, technical associate, Center for Oral Biology; Andy Brooks, research assistant professor, Center for Aging & Developmental Biology; Peggy Spear, technical associate, Center for Vaccine Biology and Immunology; James Surapisitchat, technical associate, Center for Cardiovascular Research; Scott Ghostlaw, project manager, Project Planning; Daniel Leyrer, purchasing manager, Procurement Services; Betsy Colon Newport, purchasing manager, Procurement Services; and William Passalacqua, director of Finance & Administration, Health Affairs Division.

As a result of this collaboration, the research community continues to identify capital equipment that's common throughout the various departments. It's through this continual process of identification and standardization that the University is able to increase its purchasing leverage.

Part of the process has been identifying "preferred vendors" for a number of commodities, including centrifuges, incubators, tissue culture scopes, -80°C freezers, thermal cyclers, and microplate readers. A preferred vendor is one that offers the University the "best deal" based on the technology of equipment, product offering, application, experience with the University research community, references, service, warranty, and pricing. The result is the lowest "total cost" solution.

Although the research building now is completed, it doesn't mean an end to this collaboration. In fact, the committee has established a number of objectives to strive for:

• Invite other representatives from research centers, including the River Campus and Medical Center, to join in its efforts.
• Continue to negotiate other research capital equipment.
• Review current usage of enzymes and disposable tissue culture supplies.
• Look at ways to continually improve the channels of communication.

"Our goal is to stress collaboration and the synergy of departments working as a team with our office to best meet their procurement needs, while accomplishing it with a lowest total cost to the University and to the department researcher," summed up Kathrin Kenny, assistant director, Procurement Services. "The dollar savings allows funding to be available to meet any additional needs (because) it frees up dollars within the department's account."

Comments or suggestions regarding this collaborative effort may be forwarded via e-mail to Betsy Colon Newport at bcolon@purchasing.rochester.edu.

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