Finance Director – Operations Andrew Hallman

Macquarie University is one of 17 Australian universities working together to change the way our sector sources and buys goods and services.

As a member of the University Procurement Hub (UPH), Macquarie is soon to experience the benefits of economies of scale, efficiencies in sourcing products, and ultimately better buying decisions.

For staff, it means improvements in the way we source and buy goods, with the first category, Office Supplies, going live this week. Nearly 20 different categories of goods, ranging from furniture to recruitment services, are planned to be progressively phased in over the next 18 months.

University-wide, we spent approximately $800,000 last year on office supplies – 40,903 reams of paper, 20,706 pens, and nearly 5,000 packets of post-it notes all contributing to that amount.

The project is being managed by Finance’s Operations team which is rolling out training and consultation supported by a new Procurement Policy and updated Procurement Handbook. It is an important first step in a strategic and more sustainable approach to procurement that reinforces the University’s strategy, A Framing of Futures.

Finance’s Director – Operations, Andrew Hallman, says the initiative will aid in streamlining the procurement process by establishing University-wide preferred suppliers, eliminating the current requirement for competitive quotes, and introducing new catalogues that will make it easier to search for products.

“One of the big upsides will be the savings which ultimately help ensure the University prioritises its resources for its key purpose of research and teaching.

“This initiative also encourages all of us to think before we buy University goods and services. Presuming people are responsible with their own money, we are encouraging the application of that same responsibility to purchasing decisions at work.

“Behavioural change is an important element of our procurement strategy and as an example, if people were aware that printing colour copies costs 10 times more than black and white ones they would think before they print to contribute to greater savings for the business.”

For more information, see here or contact Purchasing Manager Belinda Anderson on x1679.