Teams will order a lot of different items throughout the semester! Some items will be things we frequently buy (see attached Google Spreadsheet), and other items will be specific to the teams needs.
The purchasing protocol will be as follows:
- Trained RAs will build carts of items that teams need purchased.
- RAs will submit carts for approval to TA if the total per team is under $100
- If the total purchase per team is greater than $100 then the cart should be submitted to Monroe.
- TA (or Monroe) will review the cart and check that the correct item(s) are being ordered and double check we do not have the parts in lab.
- TA (or Monroe) will determine which account(s) to use for each purchase and submit the cart.
When ordering for a team:
- Make sure what they are ordering cannot be found in supplies already in the lab
- Check the Frequently Purchased Items Google Doc for supplies we order a lot!
- Use an organizational system (e.g. Accounting) to keep track of which teams ordered each item
- Try to order from Cornell Suppliers if possible. Suppliers in Eshop we use often:
- McMaster Carr (anything PVC, flexible tubing, 80-20 parts, etc.)
- I.D. Booth (large diameter PVC - can be anything above 3" ID)
- DigiKey (electronics)
- Newark (electronics)
- VWR (chemicals, safety gear)
- Fisher (chemicals)
- W.B. Mason (office suppliers)
- S&B Computer and Office (office supplies)
- If you have to order from a supplier outside of E-Shop you will need to fill out an I Want Doc (see E-Shop Training). Suppliers we buy from outside of E-Shop:
- U.S. Plastics (specialty PVC parts, float valves, etc)
- Amazon (anything!)
- Cole-Parmer (Peristaltic tubing, microbore tubing)
- SparkFun (specialty sensors)
- Trust your instincts! If an item seems too expensive or you know of a better part to meet their needs, talk with the team about what they want to purchase! Common mistakes include:
- Ordering acrylic instead of clear PVC
- Ordering schedule 80 PVC instead of schedule 40 PVC