I’m excited to announce that the Procurement & Strategic Sourcing Department has a number of new members that 

recently joined the team.  With the change in personnel, the Department has been reorganized to provide enhanced 

customer service to better align with the growth of the University.  Please reach out to the appropriate individual 

listed below as needed.

We appreciate your on-going patience as the Department has continued to move forward in a strategic manner.

On Monday, November 15, 2021, all users will transition to the new Paw Procurement user interface.  This new interface will update the user experience for shopping, requisitions, orders, and invoices.

The Paw Procurement System (PPS) will be offline beginning Friday, November 12, 2021 at 9:00 pm EST. through Sunday, November 14, 2021 at 5:00 pm for the upgrade and other system maintenance. 

Thank you for your patience as the Paw System performs required maintenance.

As you may be aware, the campus is experiencing substantial issues with Amazon deliveries.  Hundreds of packages are being dropped at single locations regardless of the delivery addresses.  Our communications with Amazon have been ongoing for some time but the situation remains unresolved.

Due to this, we are temporarily suspending Amazon as a supplier in the Paw system until this matter is resolved.  With this action, effective immediately, new orders cannot be placed with Amazon. Any Amazon orders currently in progress will not be affected and the associated receipt/approval processes remain in place. 

This action is the best and most timely option available to stem the current strain on campus resources to re-deliver packages to the appropriate offices and students.  This temporary measure will be in effect while we utilize every available avenue to resolve the situation with Amazon as quickly as possible.

In the interim, we encourage users to order standard business items from RGH or Rudolph.  These office supply companies are Maryland-based Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Firms under contract with UMBC.  The use of these firms will have the added benefit of supporting the University’s commitment to a more diverse supply chain.

Thank you so much for your patience and understanding as we work toward a solution with Amazon.

Elizabeth Moss

Executive Director, Procurement & Strategic Sourcing

The Department of Procurement and Strategic Sourcing is pleased to announce that the University has established a contract for industrial supplies with McMaster-Carr and for maintenance/renovation supplies with Lowe’s Pro.  Since this fall, the Procurement Department has been working with both of these firms to customize their programs to allow for consistent product selection and online ordering through Paw.  Orders with these suppliers to be delivered to campus may now be placed using Paw instead of the pcard.  

McMaster-Carr’s punch-out is located within the Laboratory/Scientific category area.

Lowe’s Pro punch-out is located within the Maintenance, Repair and Operations category area.

Additional information regarding delivery options for Lowe’s Pro is attached to this message.  Procurement strongly recommends the review of the delivery options prior to the placement of any Lowe’s orders, as the selected option may result in unanticipated delivery charges. 

We are excited to enable both of these providers for the campus.  If you have any additional questions regarding these suppliers or the process to place orders, please reach out to Rafael Espinoza: espinoza@umbc.edu

The Department of Procurement & Strategic Sourcing is pleased to announce that the University has established a contract for office supplies with RGH Enterprises, Inc.  RGH is a minority-owned HUBZone small business enterprise headquartered in Baltimore City and has been in business for 28 years.  Almost 20 years ago, RGH partnered with Staples through an Advantage Diversity Alliance to provide their customers with a full range of office supplies products and reliable delivery.  Since January, the Procurement Department has been working with RGH to customize their program to allow for consistent product selection, online ordering through Paw, and fast and free delivery. 

Starting on Monday, July 20^th, RGH’s punchout will be located within the general category area as shown below:

We are excited to enable RGH as an additional office supplies provider for the campus.  For any additional questions related to RGH, please contact Donna Von Paris: dvonparis@umbc.edu

As most of you are aware, all University invoices are paid by the General Accounting Division (GAD) for the State of Maryland after the UMBC Accounts Payable Department reviews and processes invoices.  The Accounts Payable Departments in GAD and UMBC are both operating with a skeleton staff, which impacts the volume of invoices that can be processed each day. 

Given the decrease in staff physically in the office who are able to issue checks, GAD is only processing payments that are mission critical or essential for research.

The University has not been provided with clear guidelines as to the determination of a mission critical payment.  Leases, utilities, network expenses, library serials, and construction payments are clear examples of mission critical payments, as well as any research payments due to COVID-19 related projects. 

Invoices that are not mission critical will be paid when GAD resumes normal operations or when the University receives guidance from GAD to process these invoices.  The processing of employee reimbursements will also be delayed due to the decreased staffing. 

In the meantime, recurring monthly pcard payments should continue to be made.  Procurement and Accounts Payable is also working to move invoices to be paid using a pcard whenever possible.

We recognize that many invoices do not fit within one of the above categories.  Each invoice is being reviewed on a case by case basis to determine the criticality of payment during this unique moment of limited staff resources.  If you believe that an invoice is critical, please forward the request to Covid19purchases@umbc.edu. Please provide all details regarding the criticality of the request to allow processing of these essential payments to move forward as efficiently as possible.

Thank you for all of your patience and understanding during this difficult time.