UMBC Procurement & Strategic Sourcing is excited to announce that during the week of June 30, 2025, we will implement Direct Delivery with Amazon Business for the entire UMBC campus (1000 Hilltop Circle).  This does not apply to Shady Grove, Rita Rossi Colwell Center, or either Research Park location.

Direct Delivery (DD) is a ship option that consolidates packages going to a single business address onto pallets.  With DD, Amazon optimizes for consolidation over speed, delivering purchases together on a pallet, during the same time window every day, and enabling faster drop off with one pallet scan from the delivery driver instead of multiple scans for parcel deliveries.  

This is a much more sustainable, consistent, and reliable delivery method.  Packages will then be sorted at the UMBC Warehouse and delivered across campus by staff from Retriever Card Center & Mail Services to the final delivery location on campus.

Starting next week, you should select the FREE Dedicated Delivery option at checkout whenever available so orders will arrive on a DD pallet.  

Please note that there are some items that are not eligible for DD.  Hazmat, heavy, bulky, or merchant-fulfilled items are ineligible for DD and will continue to be shipped via parcel delivery.

It is our hope that this change will significantly decrease any errors with Amazon package delivery and increase customer satisfaction.