Do you frequently order items that ship on dry ice? Here are a few cost saving tips to consider when placing your next order:

• Do not ship Next Day Priority (AM). If next-day delivery is required, Next Day standard or PM (Noon-5PM) is much cheaper and equally reliable.  

• If feasible, 2-day delivery will provide significant savings. Most temperature-controlled packages can withstand 3-5 days in transit.

• To the extent possible, please order from the primary preferred suppliers for Life Sciences and Lab Suppliers: Fisher, VWR, or Thomas Scientific. All three companies have agreed to reduced or no-cost freight and offer better rates on temperature controlled deliveries. Fisher, in particular, carries over 2,000 items from Promega's product line and most of the Agilent product line. While these suppliers may have slightly higher unit prices, those prices are more than offset by the reduced shipping and handling costs and frequently used materials are stocked locally by Fisher and VWR. Thomas Scientific is a certified small business for all of your federally funded contracting needs.

Please be advised that as part of our energy conservation efforts, all new appliances must be Energy Star certified products. Freezers, especially ultra-low temperature (ULT) freezers are heavy users of electricity. Please support the University’s Sustainability goals by replacing end of life equipment with more efficient and reliable equipment. For assistance with purchasing ULT freezers, please contact your buyer.

Airgas, UC’s main supplier for liquid nitrogen for cryogenic storage, has notified UC that Airgas delivery drivers can no longer perform certain high-risk functions that fall outside of contracted services.

Effective October 7, 2022, Airgas drivers can no longer perform these services for high-risk samples/research:

• Connection/disconnection services for high-risk sample applications
• Inventory management for high-risk sample applications
• Filling of open-mouth dewar flasks if they contain samples.

If Airgas has performed any of these discontinued services for your lab or department, please reach out to our Airgas campus rep. Michael Rose at [email protected] or Alex Butler, Strategic Sourcing Commodity Manager at [email protected] for assistance.

BearBUY’s Fall upgrade release will be in production on November 7, 2022.

Coming soon are:

• Form updates with a new user experience. Forms in the new user experience will have a slightly updated look and feel. They will also no longer open in a separate window.
• More online training for Shoppers will be available in the Learning Management system (UC Learning). It will include information on looking up invoices, running searches, and how to request changes to purchase orders. This training is encouraged, but not required for shoppers.
• New required Training for Change Order Preparers and Buyers launching in November.

More information on the upcoming BearBUY upgrade release and new eCourses will be available in October. Please stay tuned!