Procurement Services Newsletter 

November 2025

Calendar Year-End Close and Holiday Schedules

As we approach the end of the 2025 calendar year and the holiday season, please note that in alignment with the university holiday and closings schedule, University Procurement Services (UPS) staff will not be available from Thursday, December 25, 2025, through Thursday, January 1, 2026. For emergency inquiries during this break, please email procureyearend@finance.rutgers.edu. This inbox will only be actively monitored during the year-end close period. 


Key Dates to Keep in Mind:


  • Monday, December 1, 2025: Last day for RU Marketplace users to submit requisitions that do not require signatures. Requisitions submitted after this date will be processed on a first-in, first-out basis and may not be completed before the university holiday break.


  • Thursday, December 18, 2025: Last day to submit requisitions, check requests, non-PO (purchase order) uploads, and prepayment requests. Please note that pricing in 2026 may be subject to change.


  • Tuesday, December 23, 2025: Final day for calendar year-end payments on approved invoices up to and including the due date of January 8, 2026.


  • Tuesday, January 6, 2026: First day after the holiday break that Accounts Payable will resume its normal Tuesday/Thursday payment runs.
     

Please Note:


  • Purchasing requisitions via punchout and quick orders will still be issued; however, any requisitions requiring UPS review and approval, such as goods and service orders, will NOT be processed until after the break.
     
  • Invoices, check requests, non-PO uploads, and expense reports may be submitted but will NOT be processed until after the break.

Concur Travel System Downtime (December 8 to 14)

and Platform Upgrade

On December 15, 2025, as part of a system upgrade, Rutgers will transition to an enhanced version of the Concur Online Booking travel platform. 

 

To prepare for this system upgrade, the Concur travel tool will be unavailable from Monday, December 8, 2025, through Sunday, December 14, 2025.

 

  • Please make any necessary university travel reservations prior to Monday, December 8.

 

  • For emergency travel needs during this system downtime period, please contact the Direct Travel reservation team at 888-818-1067 or email rutgerstravel@dt.com.  

 

  • Concur Expense will remain fully operational during the system downtime.

 

Enhanced Travel Platform Arriving December 15

This enhanced Concur travel system will make booking travel easier and more efficient by offering:


  • Modern, user-friendly features: Enjoy a cleaner, more intuitive layout that streamlines your travel booking experience.


  • Enhanced hotel and airfare tools: Improved filtering and sorting, a clearer display of airfares and hotel rates, and new content, including ancillary service descriptions, seat maps, and loyalty status recognition (where applicable).


  • Streamlined checkout process: Fewer steps and greater clarity during booking and confirmation (i.e., fewer clicks).

Important Changes to the Health and Research Categories 
in RU Marketplace

As part of the ongoing changes to the Research and Health categories in RU Marketplace, several supplier catalogs were moved from the Labviva platform and reinstated into standalone catalogs within RU Marketplace. November 21, 2025, was the final date to place an order through the Labviva platform. Most suppliers that were in Labviva are now available through the Avantor/VWR and Neta Scientific catalogs.


Below is a recap of the major items that were moved and details on how to locate suppliers previously housed in Labviva.


  • The Benco and Henry Schein catalogs, which provide dental and medical supplies and equipment, were reinstated as standalone catalogs in RU Marketplace.


  • The Avantor/VWR and Neta Scientific catalogs, which provide a wide selection of lab supplies and equipment, were reinstated as standalone catalogs in RU Marketplace.


  • The Fisher Scientific catalog, which provides a wide selection of lab supplies and equipment, was reinstated as a standalone catalog in RU Marketplace.
    
     
  • For a comprehensive list of all suppliers previously housed in Labviva, view this reference matrix to identify their locations within the RU Marketplace.


If you cannot find a product, refer to the job aid for guidance on completing an open requisition in the Avantor/VWR punchout to find and order the item you need.

 

For any questions, feel free to reach out to Sabrina Hoffman, strategic sourcing analyst.

Upcoming Webinars: Open Office Hours, 
Requisitioner Training, and Concur

Virtual Open Office Hours

 

Join University Procurement Services staff on Monday, December 8, for this month's virtual open office hours series.

 

Throughout the day, you will have the opportunity to sign into informal virtual sessions, ranging from 30 minutes to an hour, with the Procurement teams below. Come prepared with questions, issues, and ideas or simply to listen and engage with our team.

 

To join, there's no need to register in advance. Just click the links below during the allotted time to enter each Zoom session.

 

Monday, December 8

9-9:30 a.m.:

Join Accounts Payable Office Hour


10-10:30 a.m.:

Join Purchasing & Contracts Office Hour


11-11:30 a.m.:

Join Supplier Management Office Hour


1-2 p.m.:

Join Travel, Expense & Card Office Hour

RU Marketplace Requisitioner Training


These monthly virtual training webinars are an introduction into the purchasing process and include RU Marketplace profile set-up, procurement authority, requisitions and forms, and common issues.


Training is for new users and those who look for a refresher course in requisitioning.


All webinars are held via Teams and cover the same material. New webinars will be added periodically. Join the session using the link below.


Thursday, December 11

9-10:30 a.m.: 

Join RU Marketplace Requistioner training session

Concur Travel and Expense


Attend monthly virtual training webinars, which include an intro to the system and demos of common tasks, such as creating travel expense reports. These training webinars are beneficial for new users and those who need a refresher on how to use the Concur system.


All webinars are held via Teams and cover the same core material. More webinars will be scheduled in 2026. No registration is required. Join the session using the link below.


Tuesday, December 16

 10-11:30 a.m.:

Join Concur Travel and Expense training session


Contact the Procurement Help Desk

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