Martin’s Super Market Accepts American Express

There have been a few reports lately that South Bend area Martin’s Super Markets are not accepting American Express.  After speaking with an individual at the Martin’s on Ironwood, we were informed that every Martin’s location accepts American Express.  If you encounter a cashier who states otherwise, please ask to talk to a supervisor or store manager who should be able to clear up the situation with the cashier.

Martin’s just recently began accepting American Express, so some of their cashiers may not have been informed of the change or simply may have forgotten.  Please let us know if you encounter any problems when using your American Express p-cards at Martin’s and we will follow up with the store managers to make sure their staff is aware of the new policy.

Tom Westerhof
Buyer II
towester@iusb.edu
574-520-4399

Filed under: South Bend , American Express, Amex, IUSB, Martin's Super Market, P-card, South Bend

Users Who Recently Upgraded to IE8 may Experience EPIC Compatibility Issue

We recently received several reports that EPIC users are running into problems when they try to transfer their Shop Contracts cart into EPIC.   The problem appears to be a compatibility issue with Internet Explorer 8.  Those who recently upgraded to IE8 receive a “cross-scripting error”.   

Following the directions contained in the links below should solve the problem.  Alternatively, you can skip these directions and use Firefox instead. 

1.  These directions will fix the cross-site scripting problem with IE8:
http://www.indiana.edu/~purchase/epic/crossscripting.html

2. These directions will fix the problem of EPIC not displaying:
http://www.indiana.edu/~purchase/epic/checkfirst.html

Sorry to those of you who lost shopping carts or had problems with your order due to this problem.  Please know we are working closely with the external vendor who manages the Shop Contracts page (Sci-Quest) to find a more permanent solution.  We’ll keep you posted on our progress!    

-Ethan Ax
Sr. Communications and Training Specialist
Indiana University Purchasing

Filed under: Uncategorized , Cross-script, EPIC, IE8, Sci-Quest

Reflecting on the New Procurement Website and What to Expect Next

It’s been a little more than a week since the debut of the new Office of Procurement Services website.  Sometimes it’s good to take a moment to reflect on where we came from, where we’re going, and what we can do to improve.

Earlier this year we surveyed a group of faculty and staff and asked simply, “What does Purchasing do well and what can we do to improve?”  The response was phenomenal and the comments provided us with a strong foundation from which to begin thinking about the website.  While the majority of comments were positive, suggestions for improvement included:

• Better contact information and an improved staff directory
• More training tools, particularly for EPIC
• Better communication when changes to policies/procedures take place

We instantly recognized that our new website could be a valuable tool in addressing these issues.  Previously, the Office of Procurement Services website had no Contact page.  There were EPIC training materials, but those materials were tough to locate.  There was a News section, but it was buried at the bottom of the homepage.

When looking at the site now, visitors will see that these items have been given priority.  Policies, Training, and Contact all have tabs at the top of the page.  Our Featured News section now dominates the page, so you never have to worry about missing out on important information.

We’ve come a long way, but we also recognize there is room for improvement.  The Training page contains basic information about how to buy goods through EPIC, but the recent Shop Contracts upgrade rendered our existing training documents obsolete.  Developing new PDFs, as well as online training videos, will be my first priority for the month of August.  I also hope to create a “Beginner’s Guide to Purchasing” for new employees.  Finally, on the Contact page you might notice the Bloomington campus is missing a phone number and email address.  By the end of the week we hope to have one unified point of contact, but until then, please feel free to reach out to any one of our contract managers or email purchasing-l@indiana.edu with questions.

On a final note, I’d like to thank Brian Becker, our Assistant Director of Procurement Systems.  Brian put in a lot of hours coding the site and making design improvements.  The site wouldn’t be what it is without his hard work.

What do you think?  Is there anything we’ve missed?  Something else you would like to see?  Please leave a comment and let us know how we can improve.

Sincerely,

Ethan Ax
Sr. Communications and Training Specialist
Office of Procurement Services

Filed under: Uncategorized , indiana university, new website, Office of Procurement Services, Purchasing

IU Campus Competes for Victoria’s Secret Event

IU fans only have five more days to vote for Indiana University’s Bloomington campus as the winner of the Victoria’s Secret PINK Nation student event.  At the time of this posting, IU was in the lead with 29 percent of the vote.  Running a close second was Kansas with 26 percent of the vote.

Five universities across the country (including IU) are competing for the opportunity to play host to Victoria’s Secret’s PINK Nation student event.  In previous years, events featured appearances by popular entertainers.  To vote, register at the PINK Nation Web site, www.vsPINK.com. The contest concludes at the end of the day on Aug. 4. The winning campus and event performers will be announced this fall.

The Indiana University logo was added to the Victoria’s Secret PINK Collegiate Collection this summer as part of the “Class of 2009.”

The new collection featuring the IU logo is available in 13 Victoria’s Secret stores across the state as well as online. The IU PINK Collegiate Collection includes boyfriend pants, pullover hoodies and tees, ranging from $26.50 to $54.50.

The Department of Licensing and Trademarks helped negotiate the deal to place IU products in Victoria’s Secret. Royalty revenue generated from the sale of PINK’s IU products will directly support the university’s academic scholarship programs and IU Athletics.

Indiana University t-shirt available through the Victoria's Secret PINK Collegiate Collection

Filed under: Bloomington Events/Training , indiana university, IU, PINK Collegiate Collection, Victoria's Secret

Use these Addresses for IU South Bend P-Card Purchases

When placing orders using your p-card, please use the following addresses:

Billing
(Name as it appears on the card)
PO Box 7111
South Bend, IN 46634

Shipping
IU South Bend
Attn: (your name and room #)
1825 Northside Blvd.
South Bend, IN 46615

Using these will help to ensure that the charge goes through and that the order is delivered to you in a timely manner.

If only three lines are available for the shipping address, combine the first two lines.  For example: “IU South Bend/(your room #)”.

The important thing is to have your name and/or room number and the “1825 Northside Blvd.” address listed somewhere on the shipment label as this is the location of the main receiving dock and will enable Support Services to get your order to you as quickly as possible.  Using “1700/1800 Mishawaka Ave.” might delay your order as it may be delivered to the Gateway in the main lobby of the Administration building instead of the receiving dock.

Tom Westerhof
towester@iusb.edu
Buyer II

Filed under: P-Card Transition, South Bend , Address, Billing, IU South Bend, P-card, Shipping

South Bend Tribune Article Highlights E-Waste Effort

The South Bend Tribune published a nice column by IU South Bend Associate Professor of Biology, Deborah Marr, about the Tough Stuff Recycling Fest.  IU South Bend collected 70,000 pounds of electronic equipment that was recycled by Apple Computer at no cost to IU, thanks to a contract negotiated by the Purchasing Department.  Here is the link:  http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090530/Opinion/905300338/1064/Opinion.

Tom Westerhof
IU South Bend

Filed under: South Bend , e-waste, indiana university, IU South Bend, recycling

Purchasing Asks Faculty and Staff to Delay Microsoft Purchases

The IU Microsoft Select Agreement which allowed faculty and staff to purchase Microsoft software at a reduced price officially expired on May 31, 2009. We anticipate a new contract being in place within the next two weeks and would request that you please refrain from making ANY MICROSOFT PRODUCT PURCHASES during this time. We will announce the new agreement and the new vendor as soon as the contract negotiation process is complete.

The IU Microsoft Select Agreement was made possible through a contract with Dell computer, a reseller of Microsoft products. Currently, we are negotiating terms on a new agreement. Microsoft understands our position and is not removing our access to software under the Campus Agreement, but in the eyes of our reseller, Dell Computer, our current Select contract has expired.

This agreement has no impact on the downloadable software available to staff, faculty, and students under our Campus Agreement. That software is still available at iuware.indiana.edu.

Please feel free to contact your local Purchasing Department if you have any questions.

Jill Schunk, C.P.M.
IU Purchasing

Tally Thrasher, C.P.M.
IUPUI Purchasing

Filed under: Saving Money , indiana university, Microsoft, Microsoft select agreement, software

Purchasing Responds to your Feedback

In February, the Bloomington Purchasing Department surveyed fiscal officers and asked three questions:

1. In your experience, what have you found that Purchasing does well or where do we add value?
2. What can we do to improve?
3. Please give examples of recent experiences with Purchasing.  What went well and what did not go well? 

The response was terrific.  68 people submitted feedback.  Of those, 64 (94 %) left positive remarks.  46 (67 %) offered suggestions for improvement. 

After carefully reviewing the data, faculty and staff identified four areas where Purchasing could most improve.  The Purchasing Department met to discuss these opportunities, as well as possible solutions. 

Below, you fill find the results of our meeting.  We hope you see improvement in these areas over the course of the next few months.  

Opportunity
Respondents commented that Purchasing is slow to reply to phone calls, emails, and other requests for help.

Possible Solutions
• Ask other Purchasing staff members for help if it is needed.
• Arrange for an e-mail etiquette training.
• Respond to phone calls within 24 hours.
• Call back/reply to emails immediately to let the person know you got their message.  Follow up with an answer as soon as possible.
• Put out-of-office messages on phones when gone for the afternoon.

Opportunity
Need better contact information/staff directory.

Possible Solutions
• Purchasing is in the process of developing a new website.  The new site will feature an improved staff directory and more prominent contact information.   

Opportunity
EPIC is confusing and difficult to use.

Possible Solutions:
• Consider offering an EPIC class for advanced users.
• Continue to promote monthly EPIC training for beginners.  Increase training for general Purchasing concepts to twice a year.

Opportunity
Policy and procedure changes should be communicated more quickly. Staff members want better access to information.

Possible Solutions
• Sign more people up for the Purchasing and EPIC listservs so the information gets in front of a larger percentage of our audience.
• Increase the newsletter frequency to once a month.
• Give policy changes more prominence in the newsletter.
• Create an index of articles on the Purchasing website so people can find the article by subject rather than by month.

Your thoughts?  An opportunity we’ve missed?  Solutions we haven’t considered?

Filed under: Bloomington Events/Training , Bloomington, feedback, opportunities, Purchasing, solutions, survey

Tough Stuff Recycling Fest is Huge Success

IU South Bend recently completed its annual recycling festival, Tough Stuff Recycling Fest.  Electronics collected at the event will be recycled at no cost to IU thanks to a contract negotiated by the Indiana University Purchasing Department. 

 

Here are the results:    

Shoe Collection

·         seven 30-gallon bags of shoes will be sent to Goodwill (over 200 pounds)

·         three 30-gallon bags will be sent to Nike Grind (soles will be ground up and used to make athletic courts)

·         one 30-gallon bag will be donated to Shoes-4-Africa (gently used athletic shoes are given to people who would not otherwise have shoes in Kenya, Africa)

Styrofoam and Packing Material

·         900 gallons of packing peanuts and packing material sent to UPS stores

·         900 gallons of Styrofoam sent to Michigan City for recycling

Plastic Bags

·         900 gallons of plastic bags were given to Wal-Mart for recycling

Egg Cartons

·         More than 800 egg cartons collected. These cartons are being given to local egg farmers.

Electronic Waste

·         We conservatively estimate that 100,000 pounds of electronics were diverted from landfills. All of the equipment will be recycled in the United States in an environmentally responsible manner. This collection would not have been possible without the generosity of Apple Computers and the IT technology departments on the Indiana University campuses!

Event participants generously donated more than $900 to help cover costs of this and future sustainability events. During the first two hours, cars were backed up down Mishawaka Avenue.

Thirty students, staff, faculty, and administrators from IUSB and Free Geek Michiana joined in the effort.

Source:  Tom Westerhof

Filed under: South Bend , ewaste, indiana university, recycling, South Bend, tough stuff recycling

AmEx P-Card Gaining Merchant Acceptance

The Purchasing Department recently met with American Express and we were excited to learn that Amex customer service representatives have been reading this blog to stay informed about the concerns of staff and faculty. Please keep your comments coming, as direct feedback from you is the best way to help us reolve outstanding issues.

Here are the results of our meeting:

• Amex is preparing information that will clarify merchant discount rates compared to the rest of the industry  and international acceptance.  Look for more information on this soon.
• Amex will escalate merchant acceptance efforts.
• Amex is working on acceptance with Menards at a national level.
• Amex is researching how other organizations handle the filing of receipts/records, since the last four digits of the card numbers are no longer unique. 
• Amex is taking a look at ways to make password/security code procedures more customer friendly. 

For vendors who still choose not to accept American Express, Purchasing has  established a list of alternative payment options.  Please do not hesitate to contact Purchasing with any other questions. 

Sincerely,

Lorelei Meeker
Assistant Vice President
Indiana University Purchasing

Filed under: P-Card Transition , American Express, Amex, indiana university, P-card, pcard, Purchasing