Dear Campus Community,

Supply Chain Management (SCM) has important updates and upcoming events to share with you.

This month's features:  

• Scheduled BFS Maintenance
• Supply Chain Challenges Due to Tariffs
• The Fisher Scientific Channel & Possible Missions Launch Enhanced Purchasing this Month!
• Updated Punchout Catalog Supplier: Wesco (Anixter)
• Reminder: Parking & Transportation Tile
• Reminder: Guide Me: Guided Intake
• Reminder: No Special Characters in Shipping Information
• Bears that Buy Open Office Hours: Here to Make Purchasing BEARable



If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact the BearBUY Help Desk at 510-664-9000 (options 1, 2) or bearbuyhelp@berkeley.edu for immediate assistance.

Go Bears!!

Thank you for your continued support, 

Supply Chain Management

Scheduled BFS Maintenance

The BFS system will perform maintenance on Friday, April 25, 2025, from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. PST. BearBUY will be unavailable during this maintenance period.

Please prepare for planned system downtimes and visit the Controller’s Office website for the 2025 BFS maintenance schedule.

Supply Chain Challenges Due to Tariffs

We encourage you to use our contracted suppliers primarily, as UC Berkeley and the UC System are working to minimize the tariff increases. The most effective action shoppers can take is to prioritize ordering through catalog suppliers within BearBUY and use UC system-wide contracted suppliers whenever possible, since they are the best options for procuring most goods. UC is negotiating with these suppliers to minimize tariff impacts on prices.

If using a non-contracted supplier or placing orders that will ship from foreign countries, contact Berkeley’s contracted customs broker, American Cargoservice Inc., before placing an order to request quotes or get advice on tariff rates. Call or email American Cargoservice at 858-565-4125 or UC@ACSSAN.COM.

 For more information, please visit our Tariff & Supply Chain Challenges website. Approved tariff rates for contracted suppliers will be listed on BearBUY Dashboards under “News”.

The Fisher Scientific Channel & Possible Missions

Launch Enhanced Purchasing this Month!

Get ready, get set, and GO! On April 25, 2025, UC Berkeley and the Fisher Scientific channel will launch their economic impact partnership with Possible Missions, a small, woman—and minority-owned life sciences business dedicated to higher education and health services.

April 25, 2025, marks the date that Possible Missions begins processing orders for LifeTech and Thermo Fisher Asheville products through the Fisher Scientific Channel Punchout Catalog. You can get more detailed information and helpful resources at our Open Office Hour tomorrow, Tuesday, April 15, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. Please see below for more information on office hours.

Possible Missions’ electronic order fulfillment will integrate effortlessly with your current order process—no slowdowns, no extra layers. LifeTech and Thermo Fisher Asheville products within the Fisher Scientific Channel Punchout Catalog will now show the Possible Missions’ name on shopping carts, purchase orders, and invoices. But rest assured, pricing, product availability, shipping, and delivery standards will remain unchanged, and both the Fisher Scientific channel and Possible Missions support teams are ready to assist you.

This partnership is a win-win! Adding Possible Missions’ operations and sales teams means Berkeley’s research operations will receive enhanced service, and Possible Missions' small, woman- and minority-owned business status makes it easier for you to meet federal grant obligations. Purchasers will benefit from additional support and simplified processes in fulfilling grant requirements, while costs to the UC system remain consistent—no changes in products, prices, or processes.

This collaboration signifies a substantial advancement in the University's pledge to fostering a more resilient research supply chain and in achieving its economic and community impact objectives.

Updated Punchout Catalog Supplier:

Wesco (Anixter)

Anixter and Wesco have joined and are now under the Wesco brand, providing all your data center and cabling needs.

Parking & Transportation Tile

(Departmental Parking Passes)

The new Parking & Transportation tile is in the Catering, Meetings & Events Guided Dashboard, making it easier to purchase departmental parking passes.

Guide Me: Guided Intake

The "Guide Me" Wizard offers step-by-step assistance for new and occasional BearBUY shoppers, helping them make compliant purchasing decisions.

This feature employs a rule-based Q&A format to direct shoppers toward the optimal procurement outcome. The Enhanced platform intuitiveness utilizes role-based questionnaires to assess the shopper’s needs and provides guidance and recommendations for the quickest purchasing path. This feature will undergo frequent updates for the next few months as we add new suggested suppliers based on user feedback.

Please help us improve the "Guide Me" Wizard by completing the Assessment Form.

No Special Characters in Contact Information in Shipping Information and PO Line Description

We do NOT recommend copying and pasting the item description from a website to a BearBUY form, as it might contain special characters like the trademark symbol. If you must copy and paste, use the plain text format and delete any special characters.

POs with special characters (i.e., #, /, &, *) in the Contact Line in the Shipping Information will NOT be dispatched from BearBUY to BFS. 

ONLY alphanumeric characters (i.e., a, b, c, A, B, C, 1, 2, 3) are allowed in the Contact Line in the Shipping Information and PO Line Description.

Prohibiting special characters enables supplier computers to read the contact information correctly.

For more information, please see the New Shoppers - Quick Reference Guide.

Bears that Buy Open Office Hours:

Here to Make Purchasing BEARable

Please join us for our next remote office hour tomorrow, Tuesday, April 15, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. to 10:50 a.m.

We encourage you to submit topics of discussion and/or questions in advance in this Google form.

Just so you know – individuals from the Procurement, BearBUY Solutions, Account Payable, and BRS teams will attend to listen to your questions and provide information about purchasing at Berkeley. The Open Office Hours will be held every third Tuesday of the month from 10:00 to 10:50 a.m.

Instructions and Zoom URL:

• To attend office hours, you MUST first be signed in to your Berkeley Zoom account. Please see How to sign in to your UC Berkeley Zoom account.
• You don't need to register. Join the Bears that Buy Open Office Hours or enter the Meeting ID 99363039857 in the Zoom desktop client.

Who is My Department's Assigned Buyer?



If you are unsure of how to start your purchasing transaction, contact your Buyer for assistance by using your Org Node and Department Name to find your assigned Buyer located in this matrix.

Contracts in BearBUY



If you need help searching for a contract and applying it to your cart in BearBUY, please view the Searching for Contracts and Applying a Contract to Your Cart in BearBUY job aid.