The Office of Communications & Community Engagement (OCEC) Announces Interim RPI Brand Guidelines (Spring Semester 2025)
These guidelines provide guidance on logo usage and naming conventions to ensure consistent branding representation during spring semester 2025. Please click the link above to review the full announcement.
The RPI Shopping Spotlight - January 2025 Edition
Procurement Services to host 9th Annual Supplier Showcase, Thursday, December 5th, 2024 at the Alumni Sports & Recreation Center (the Armory)
Network with Rensselaer's key suppliers and the Procurement Services team! Win exciting raffle prizes from our suppliers! Enjoy festive refreshments provided by Rensselaer Dining Services!
NEW THIS YEAR: Help make a difference for the RPI community and bring a non-perishable item to donate to the RPI Student Food Pantry! Participants will receive a raffle ticket to be entered to win a special prize!
- Come looking sharp for Professional Head Shots by Something Once Photography
- Be sure to stop by our Silly Snaps Photo Booth and take home your Supplier Showcase memento
- Remember to bring your business cards to enter to win supplier raffle prizes
The 2024 Supplier Showcase is open to all faculty, staff, and students involved in the procurement process.
Where: Rensselaer Alumni Sports and Recreation Center, 1650 15th Street, Troy NY 12180
When: Thursday, December 5, 2024, 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
The RPI Shopping Spotlight - October 2024 Edition
The RPI Shopping Spotlight - June 2024 Edition
The RPI Shopping Spotlight - Special Edition for April 2024
The Procurement team is going on the road in May and June! Check out our Special Edition here and reach out if you're interested in hosting a 60-minute session in your department.
Procurement launches "The RPI Shopping Spotlight" quarterly newsletter! February 1, 2024
Coming to an inbox near you if you're an OSCAR user! Otherwise, please click here to check out our inaugural issue of our newsletter - meant to introduce, inform, and generate a smile!
Procurement Services to host 8th Annual Supplier Showcase, Thursday, December 7th, 2023 at the Alumni Sports & Recreation Center (the Armory)
Network with Rensselaer's key suppliers and the Procurement Services team! Win exciting raffle prizes from our suppliers! Enjoy festive refreshments provided by Rensselaer Dining Services!
Come looking sharp for Professional Head Shots by Something Once Photography, and be sure to stop by our Silly Snaps Photo Booth, sponsored by Repeat Business!
The 2023 Supplier Showcase is open to all faculty, staff, and students involved in the procurement process.
Where: Rensselaer Alumni Sports and Recreation Center, 1650 15th Street, Troy NY 12180
When: Thursday, December 7, 2023, 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
RPI Account with Amazon Business
We are excited to announce that on Monday, March 6, 2023, we will be launching a new and efficient process for purchasing from Amazon Business (AB). On March 6, you will be given access to our AB account through the OSCAR Marketplace where you will punch-out to AB, shop, and transfer your cart back into OSCAR for approvals so that the PO can be electronically submitted to AB, fulfilled and shipped. Also on March 6, you will receive additional communication with the steps you will need to take to join the RPI AB account. Depending on whether your RPI email address is associated with Amazon today (either on Amazon.com or AB), you will be directed differently on how to join the RPI AB account.
Access to the RPI AB account is managed through Single Sign On (SSO). Instead of you having to remember a specific password for AB, access will be granted through our existing SSO platform. If you are already authenticated through SSO, you will not need to enter in credentials, however, if you are not authenticated through SSO, you will be required to login through SSO prior to entering the AB account.
In addition to the increased efficiency that this process provides, additional benefits of RPI’s central account include:
- Free 2-Day shipping on Prime-eligible items (learn more)
- Automatic tax-exempt purchasing on items sold by Amazon.com LLC and participating 3rd party sellers
- Access to millions of additional products, available only to Business customers
- Business-specific pricing, including quantity discounts on eligible items
- Access to a specialized Amazon Business Customer Service team
More detailed emails on this to come as we get closer to launch.
Procurement and Travel and Expense Improvements - February 28, 2023
We are happy to announce that members of the Faculty Senate, Research Community, Procurement Services, and the Division of Finance have been working together to find ways to streamline procurement. These initial changes have been accepted by President Schmidt and the Cabinet and are effective 2/28/2023.
- Allow for purchasing out of pocket under $2,500 without completing the Purchasing Exception Form. Faculty and staff can now purchase needed items without pre-approval and be reimbursed through Concur, assuming policies are followed, and OSCAR options are not available/viable. Certain exceptions will apply and can be found here. It is important to remember that expense reports must be submitted within 30 days of the purchase date on the receipt.
- Increase bid threshold from $5K to $10K. Increasing the bid threshold will decrease the amount of time spent on obtaining three quotes and completing Request for Single or Sole Source Justification forms for purchases under $10,000.
- Amazon Business implementation in OSCAR. Procurement Services will be implementing Amazon Business as a Punch-Out catalog in OSCAR, with some restrictions. The punch-out is expected to be live on March 6th. A series of emails will be sent beginning March 1st explaining the details.
- Improve awareness of Punch-Out process in OSCAR. The current online buying process in OSCAR can be an effective and efficient way to purchase with product delivery in 2-4 days. Awareness and training will be provided to faculty and staff to ensure that the process runs as efficiently as possible. To schedule a training, please enter a ticket in the Finance and Administrative Support site.
Additional details on the committee’s work can be found here.
The Division of Finance is also happy to announce that the receipt limit for travel purchases is being raised from $35 to $50. For purchases under $50 relating to travel, a receipt will no longer be required. Please note this is for TRAVEL ONLY. Receipts for all other purchases will continue to be required. Other travel and expense changes will be announced in the coming months.
