Changes to how you order office supplies
29 May 2024
The Finance team are continuing to support the University’s efforts to move to increase sustainability and simplify the way in which staff purchase goods and services.
This is being achieved by making changes to the process for ordering office supplies and printer paper from June 3, 2024, through the promotion of more environmentally friendly products and by lowering the number of deliveries on campus.
Following a thorough review, we are now rationalising our catalogues to a standard list of stationery and non-stationery products. While maintaining access to essential items, this change will: Simplify the buying experience on eMarketplace;
- Promote the use of non-branded and green products;
- Help your budgets go further by reducing office supply costs by around 5%; and
- Further help with carbon reductions, assisting in our Net Zero commitments.
As part of this change, we are also consolidating our supply base for office paper to two suppliers for the delivery of:
- A4 Recycled white paper for bulk delivery by pallet to stores; and
- A4 Recycled white paper for desktop delivery.
From June 3, 2024, catalogues available on eMarketplace will reflect the changes outlined above. For the time being, Virgin, A3, and all coloured paper will remain available as usual.
Ordering products not listed on eMarketplace
Should you have a requirement for office supplies or paper products that are not listed on eMarketplace, then you will be able to order this via the Requst for Quotation (RFQ) function on the eMarketplace portal, rather than raising a non-catalogue request (NCR) via Oracle iSupplier. Details of how to do this can be found in the links below:
Supporting our sustainability strategy
The University has already started working towards our zero carbon targets, with £160m of investment earmarked over the next 10 years. It is therefore important to cut waste where we can across campus. Our full sustainability strategy can be seen on the dedicated webpage.
Since 2018, the University has cut the consumption of office supplies by over half, reducing spend by 50% and reducing the carbon tonnes consumed by 51%. We have also cut our paper consumption by over half, reducing spend by 47% and reducing carbon tonnes by 48%.
Whilst retaining choice and competition, reducing suppliers reflects our new spend profile and helps the University to save a further 17% on paper spend each year, reduce the number of deliveries on campus, and simply buying without a loss of service.
Colleagues are also able to support our sustainability goals by obtaining stationery from Funiture4Reuse, the University’s dedicated used furniture and reused stationery store. Essential items, such as pens, paper, card, notepads, printer ink, and staplers are available free of charge. Further information can be found on the dedicated webpage.
More information
If you need any help or advice with eMarketplace and RFQ, please contact alison.bates@manchester.ac.uk