Procurement

Mission & Vision

Procurement Services is committed to supporting the University of Windsor Mission by providing professional and efficient service to the campus community while driving innovation and process improvement that will free up critical resources in support of teaching and research.

Our Business Objectives are to:

Provide effective and efficient procure-to-pay services for the UWindsor community, at the best value, from reputable vendors.
Actively engage in ongoing enhancements and the streamlining of our processes and services.
Maintain integrity and obedience to UWindsor policies and procedures, federal and provincial legislation, and professional ethics and standards.
Deliver outstanding customer service and communication when working with vendors and the University community.
Promote the value of accommodation, sustainability and social responsibility.

Procurement and Purchasing Overview

The limits and methods required for individual procurements under the University Procurement Policy are summarized here.

Purchase up to $5,000: Use Purchasing Card or Issue a Purchase Order (only if needed). There is no requirement to get a competitive bid.
Purchase from $5,001 to $15,000: Purchase Order is required. Obtain a minimum of one (1) written quote. Two (2) additional quotes may be required by Procurement Services to assist to ensure best value.
Purchase from $15,001 to $100,000: Purchase order required. Minimum of three (3) written competitive quotes – Procurement must provide direction on process and obtain quotes.
Purchase over $100,000: Public competitive bid process required (i.e. MERX) via Procurement Services.

Refer to the Procurement Policy

The Procurement Code of Ethics

The Code of Ethics has been established to supplement other regulations, policies and guidelines related to duty of transparency and ethic that is owed to all public institutions. This Code applies to all members of the University community who are involved in the procurement process of goods and services.

The Code of Ethics is comprised of 3 elements:

Personal Integrity
Professionalism, Accountability, Transparency
Compliance and Continuous Improvement

It is the responsibility of each member of the University to promote the institution as one that deals fairly and equitably with all suppliers to create and maintain business relationships. This can be accomplished by:

Maintaining fair and transparent competition amongst suppliers
Being honest and truthful in all inferences and statements
Treating all communication with vendors as confidential
Allowing vendors a full and courteous hearing
Never benefiting from the errors of suppliers

Refer to the S-211 Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act

Conflict of Interest

University employees must maintain a fair and impartial relationship when dealing with suppliers. End users and purchasing staff are responsible for ensuring any potential conflict of interest or non-arm’s length transactions in dealing with suppliers are declared per the Conflict of Interest Policy. Declaration of conflict of interest must be made on the University Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement.

Credit Card Programs

The University has two credit card programs (Purchasing Card and Travel Card) that Procurement is responsible for administering. Scotiabank is the VISA provider for both card programs. These credit card programs offer a convenient alternative to the existing payment processes and provide an efficient method of procuring University-related business goods and services. These programs have been designed to meet the needs of end users, as well as those of the University. Finance Essentials: Understanding Our Credit Card Programs, provides participants with detailed information on how the University's Credit Card Programs work, including how to purchase goods and services, how to procure business travel-related expenses, and how to process and manage transactions incurred. For more information, contact pcard@uwindsor.ca

Purchasing Card (PCard)

The University Purchasing Visa Credit Card Program provides University end users a method to procure and pay for low-value items without having to involve the Procurement Department.

The University pays these charges on behalf of cardholders on a monthly basis. The Purchasing Card limit is $5,650 per transaction (including taxes) with a limit of $10,000 per month.
Cardholders are responsible for ensuring all requirements are being followed when utilizing this card. As part of the Cardholder Agreement that is signed prior to card issuance, cardholders accept responsibility for the protection and proper use of the credit card and are expected to comply with all procedures to protect University assets. The Purchasing Card is to be used only for purchases related to University business. Use of the card for personal purchases is strictly prohibited and cardholders will be subject to disciplinary actions.
Cardholders should reconcile receipts to transactions regularly. Original receipts should be appended to the statement and filed chronologically. For audit purposes, all receipts must be kept by the cardholder for 7 years. Cardholder audits are performed by the Procurement Office three times per year; cardholders are responsible for reconciling credit card receipts to their monthly statement and submitting for audit upon request. The statement must also be approved, electronically through email, by the appropriate one-up signing authority.

Billing Process for University Purchasing Card Program

A consolidated card statement complete with individual transaction details will be sent to cardholders, as well as the Procurement Office, between the 16^th and 18^th of each month.
Transactions made on the card are uploaded from Scotiabank once per month to the UWinsite Finance system and charged to the cardholder’s applicable account.
Individual cardholders have the option to reassign accounts for expenditures prior to this upload. For more information, refer to the Manual for CentreSuite PCards.
All balances will be paid by the Department of Finance to the bank within the required deadlines to avoid interest penalties
In cases where there are disputes over credit card purchases, cardholders are responsible for completing and submitting a Scotiabank Commerce Card Dispute Form. Cardholders should first attempt to resolve any disputed charges with suppliers prior to contacting the bank. Any credit forthcoming will be credited to the cardholders account once the credit has been processed.
Cardholders can log in to Scotiabank CentreSuite at any time to view their statements on the 16^th of each month before the statement is emailed.

Additional Purchasing Card Information and Forms can be found here.

Travel Card

The University offers the Travel Card Program to assist individuals with a convenient method to pay for University-related business travel expenses such as airfare, hotels, car rentals, meals, etc. The monthly transaction limit on a Travel Card is $15,000. Per the University Travel Policy, the cardholder is responsible to submit a travel expense form to Accounts Payable for reimbursement. The advantage of the Travel Card is that reimbursement on travel expenses can occur before travel takes place. Where personal credit cards are used, reimbursement of travel expenditures will occur post travel.

Like the University Purchasing Card Program, participation in the Travel Card Program is a convenience that carries specific cardholder responsibilities to ensure that all Program requirements are being followed. Cardholders accept responsibility for the protection and proper use of the credit card and are expected to comply with all internal control procedures in order to protect University assets.

Travel Cards are strictly for business travel related expenditures and are not to be used for personal nature. Unauthorized use of the card is considered an improper use of University funds, which will result in disciplinary action.

All charges are due and payable by the cardholder in full immediately upon receipt of the cardholder’s monthly statement. In the event that charges are not paid in full by the required due date, finance charges will be applied, and the delinquency process will be initiated.

Billing Process for University Travel Card Program

A consolidated credit card statement, complete with individual transaction details, will be e-mailed to the cardholder on a monthly basis within 3 business days of the 15^th.
The credit card cycle runs from the 16th of the prior month through the 15th of the current month.
Cardholders are responsible to reconcile statements and make full payment on balance owing upon receipt of statement.
Payment Options for your Travel Card include the Quick Remit Payment Option or payment online with your own bank.
Past Due Accounts - please check your account activity in Scotiabank CentreSuite to avoid past due accounts. Note: Your Travel card can be blocked from usage if you have a past due amount of more than 90 days.

For additional support, contact pcard@uwindsor.ca or Scotiabank at Commercial Card Resource Centre.

Additional Travel Card Information and Forms can be found here.

Local Hotel discount information

The University has preferred pricing for nearby hotels. Guests to Windsor being hosted by the University shall stay at these preferred vendor hotels. They can be booked on the sites, or by calling, below:

The Holiday Inn Express Windsor Waterfront

The DoubleTree by Hilton Windsor

Best Western Plus Waterfront Hotel - 1-519-973-5555

Additional Via Rail discount information

Per policy, a University of Windsor employee must book the travel and accompany the person(s) traveling same day and time.

VIA Rail Corporate Fares for University of Windsor

Egencia Travel Management Platform

The University of Windsor has a new partnership with the travel management company, Egencia. With Egencia we will have access to a connected and efficient travel platform that simplifies business travel. Egencia offers one place to manage all aspects of your trips. It offers relevant travel options and a personalized booking experience with access to travel choices from the world’s largest travel platform.

To learn more, visit one of the helpful toolboxes below:

How to log-in to the UWindsor Egencia portal.

Travel essential toolbox: A selection of handy resources to help get started booking and managing your trips.

Travel arranger toolbox: Ideal for learning and optimizing your use of the site when arranging for others.

Recording of UWindsor training session offered on June 28th, 2023.

For additional information regarding Egencia, please email travel@uwindsor.ca

CAUBO Preferred Vendors

The University community through its relationship with CAUBO (Canadian Association of Business Officers), is entitled to utilize preferred vendor agreements that have been negotiated by the National Procurement Council. Departmental end users are encouraged to review and consider these agreements when purchasing these types of services.

CAUBO Vendor Agreements

Car Rentals
Hotels
Moving & Relocation Services
Union Pearson Express
VIA Rail

For questions about the CAUBO member discounts, please contact contracts@caubo.ca.

Preferred Vendor Agreements

The University has preferred vendor agreements for commodities to ensure best value and service are obtained. Users are encouraged to use these agreements prior to executing purchasing decisions on items that they cover.

Copy Paper
The preferred supplier of copy paper for the University is Grand and Toy. This agreement has been negotiated through OECM and is available for all University departments. Grand and Toy can also be a source for office supplies. Please note that all purchases will need to be paid by credit card. Contact our Account Manager, Brian Houston to set up an account: brianhouston@grandandtoy.com

Office Supplies
Monarch Basics is the University’s preferred supplier of office products and supplies. They offer reduced pricing on products and supplies with fast, efficient delivery to University locations. They offer online ordering from their catalogue that can be accessed at Monarch Basics. Contact our Account Representative, Jody Robinson to set up an account: jody.robinson@shopmonarch.ca

Amazon Business Prime
Amazon Business is a marketplace on Amazon.ca that offers access to hundreds of millions of products in a shopping experience tailored for businesses. The program will simplify the purchasing process and reduce the administrative burden experienced when procuring needed supplies with a single purchase value under $5,000. All University of Windsor Amazon purchases should be made through the University’s official Amazon Business account. Access to Amazon Business is currently restricted to PCardholders and their Managers. Click on the above link to see if you have access. Please visit the Amazon Business Training microsite for useful resources to help you best utilize the platform. For more information or to enrol in the account, contact procurement@uwindsor.ca.

Photocopiers / Printers
The University has negotiated specialized “fleet” pricing for photocopier and printer equipment with Xerox. Tri-County Copiers is the local authorized service supplier for all Xerox equipment. In the event that a photocopier or printer is required by a department, users are asked to contact Procurement at copiers@uwindsor.ca to make the necessary arrangements for the purchase and installation of this equipment. For user support, Xerox asks that you contact their help line directly, Xerox: 1-855-254-5190.

Toner Cartridges
Printers Plus is the preferred supplier for toner cartridges. They offer convenient online ordering, delivery to campus locations and old cartridge recycling credits. Further information can be found at Printers Plus www.printersplus.net

Courier Services
The University has preferred rates for courier services including DHL, FedEx, Purolator and UPS.

For information and details regarding domestic shipping and the use of couriers Distribution Services can assist you. Please contact Distribution Services for additional information.

Please ensure the employee name appears at the top of the shipping address, followed by the department name:

Employee Name
Name of Your Department, Building and Office
University of Windsor
2601 Union Street
Windsor, ON
N9B 3P4

Customs Clearance

For customs or cross-border shipping information, please visit the University of Windsor Customs portal.

All University customs related requests for imported shipments should be directed to customs@uwindsor.ca

Disposals and Returns

Disposal of Obsolete/Surplus Items

Procurement should be informed of any items, regardless of value, that are no longer required such that University capital asset records can be updated accordingly and where possible the items can be redistributed to other departments, sold, donated, or scrapped. These items can include computers, furniture and other equipment that may have some value to another end user on campus. It is important that disposal of University assets, regardless of value, must be processed through Procurement in order to ensure that the University community is made aware of the availability and possible utility of the assets in the event that a transfer might be possible.

All physical assets, including furnishings and equipment, donated to or purchased by the University, regardless of funding source (i.e., operating, grant, etc.) are the property of the University. These assets do not belong to any individual person, department or faculty, and may be claimed or reassigned by the University, as it deems necessary.

The first step in the disposal process is for end users to complete a Surplus Materials Form. Once complete, this form should be forwarded to suppliers_uwinsite@uwindsor.ca

If the item(s) are deemed as "saleable", Procurement will advertise them on a Disposal Sale, giving other Departments on campus the first opportunity to purchase them. These Disposal Sales will typically be advertised in the University Daily News. If there is no interest from Departments, then the disposal will be open to all faculty, staff, students and other individuals on a highest bidder basis. All proceeds from the Disposal Sale will be applied to the selling Department's account.

If the item(s) are determined to be of no further value to the campus community, then Procurement will assist in either donating the items to another organization (i.e., charity, school, etc.) and arrange for their removal.

As part of this process, the Department will be responsible for contacting Facility Services to make the necessary arrangements to move the items to their agreed upon destination.

Computer Returns

Should the situation arise in which the computer equipment you received has to be returned to the supplier, or if you experience problems with the equipment, please contact the supplier directly. Always keep your original packing slips and boxes in the event a return is necessary.

View Other Procedures Below

If you have any questions about procedures or forms related to disposals contact Procurement at suppliers_uwinsite@uwindsor.ca.

Affiliations

The University of Windsor Procurement office participates in activities sponsored by the following professional purchasing associations:

Purchasing Management Association Canada (PMAC)
Ontario University Professional Purchasing Management Association (OUPPMA)
Canadian Association of University Business Officers (CAUBO)
Canadian Public Procurement Council (CPPC)
Ontario Public Buyers Association (OPBA) – Chapter of National Institute of Governmental Purchasing.

Contact Information

Procurement Office
Chrysler Hall Tower, 4^th Floor Room 405
Main Contact: procurement@uwindsor.ca

Other Contact Information

Suppliers: suppliers_uwinsite@uwindsor.ca

Purchasing Cards: pcard@uwindsor.ca

Customs: customs@uwindsor.ca

Copiers: copiers@uwindsor.ca

Travel: travel@uwindsor.ca

Procurement Office Staff
Upasana (Ana) Jain, Procurement Manager
Dario Pavia, Buyer
Rita Cheung, Buyer
Lili Smallwood daGraça, Procurement Assistant
Vacant, Corporate Card & Supplier Assistant