Newsletter............................................. March 2024

https://procurement.tennessee.edu/

New Procurement Policy

Hot off the press! The revised procurement policy (FI0405) was recently published. Be sure to check it out so you are familiar with the changes, including additional NCJ exemptions and a switch from calendar year to fiscal year for small purchases. Stay tuned for information about how NCJ exemptions will work when we move to DASH on July 1.

FI0405

New Purchase Order Alert

UT now has a framework purchase order with Novogene Corporation. With the aid of large-scale sequencing platforms including Illumina, PacBio, Nanopore and 10x Genomics, and a professional bioinformatics team, Novogene is capable of delivering high-quality Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) services. This agreement (5500010249) is open to all UT departments and can be found on our purchasing agreement website.

Purchasing Agreements

Staff Spotlight

BJ Roberts, Strategic Sourcing Manager

Hello! I’ve been with the University for twelve years, and I’ve been a Strategic Sourcing Manager for just over a year. Before my move into this role, I worked with the UT Marketplace as a trainer and system administrator.

I’ve spent most of my career working in higher education. As a first-generation college student, I have seen first-hand the impact higher education can have in our communities. I am proud to have a part in the University’s mission.

When not in the office, I teach communications and public speaking. In the spare moments I find in the day I enjoy playing video games (recently Satisfactory and DayZ), reading (recently biographies and history), and designing lighting for community theater productions.

My other real full-time job is being a proud parent with my wife Mary Katherine to Matt (eight years old) and Lillian (two years old).

Vendor Spotlight

Bacon & Company, promotional items supplier PO # 5500009249

Bacon is one of the University's contracted suppliers for promotional items and is conveniently located in downtown Knoxville. Join them for their open house to see how they can meet your promotional items needs.

Contracts: Smooth Sailing

Over the next several months we will look at steps you can take to help ensure your contract is processed smoothly and efficiently.

#1 Try to avoid rushes. Please plan ahead and submit your contract well before you need it signed. Contract volume is consistently high and we work on contracts in the order they are received.

The best practice is to submit your contract at least 4-6 weeks before it is needed. More complex contracts (especially software agreements) can take even longer. Remember that after the UT contract office provides an edited document to the vendor, the vendor's legal office has to review and it is difficult to predict how long that process can take. There are often multiple approval steps included in the contract review process which could include IT, Office of General Counsel, Capital Projects, Export Control review.

UT Supplier Diversity Initiatives: Networking

by Karen Binkley, Small Business Liaison

Each year, UT Procurement Services participates in numerous small business networking events. The events provide an opportunity for us to interact with potential new suppliers and acquaint them with UT's procurement processes and procedures.

On March 7, representatives from Procurement Services and UTK Facilities Services took part in the East Tennessee Purchasing Association's 5th Annual Diversity Business Expo. As a result, we will be following up with 33 small businesses which could potentially do business with UT.

March Supplier Diversity Challenge - Business Classifications

Take this 1-minute quiz to learn the meanings of

common acronyms used to describe diverse businesses.

To view previous newsletters, visit procurement.tennessee.edu/employee-newsletter.