Purchasing Methods Used at Stanford
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Campus Wide Agreement (CWA)
CWA refers to Stanford’s on-line catalog-ordering system, which lists products offered from suppliers specifically contracted by the University. This system currently lists over 1 million items, including office supplies, lab supplies, chemicals, radioactives, computer software and hardware, compressed gases, capital equipment, tax-free alcohol, industrial supplies and electrical components.
CWA orders are initiated by department staff and, after departmental approval, are placed via Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) with the supplier. Suppliers then deliver against the order and transmit invoices electronically directly to Stanford University Accounts Payable.
For more information on EDI ordering and invoicing, please refer to the eBusiness Capability section.
Standard Purchase Order
Standard Purchase Orders are used for purchases over $2,500 and must be placed by a buyer in the Stanford Purchasing and Contracts Department. For orders over $5,000, three quotes or a sole source justification are required. Department staff may elect to use a Standard Purchase Order as the purchasing method for orders less than $2,500 when they want the assistance of a professional buyer in the Purchasing and Contracts Department.
Department staff initiate the request for a Standard Order by submitting a department approved requisition to Purchasing and Contracts.
Approved Standard Purchase Orders are identified by an 8-digit PO number. All requisitions (unapproved POs) are identified by a seven-digit number.
Suppliers should be careful to only accept and deliver against orders referencing an approved 8-digit PO number. Any request other than one referencing an approved 8-digit Standard Purchase Order number is not an official commitment to purchase.
Suppliers should only accept a Standard Purchase Order from a professional buyer in the Purchasing and Contracts department, not from staff within a school or other University department.
Suppliers are encouraged to request hard-copy of the purchase order.
Upon delivery, the supplier sends the invoice to Accounts Payable. Invoices without an 8-digit PO number will be returned unpaid.
- See Delivering Goods & Services to Stanford for more information on shipping to Stanford.
- See Invoicing Stanford for more information on submitting invoices.
Rapid Purchase Order (RPO)
Rapid Purchase Orders (RPOs)are initiated and placed entirely by school or department staff, without the involvement of the Purchasing and Contracts Department. RPO purchase amounts can not exceed $2,500, including tax.
After departmental approval, the department staff faxes the official RPO Print form, with the 8-digit PO number, directly to the supplier. When accepting a Rapid Purchase order directly from a Stanford department, the supplier should verify that the order is an official RPO referencing an 8-digit RPO number (not a CWA/ZWA or Standard Purchase Order), and that the correct company is shown as the supplier (See Sample Official RPO Form).
Stanford University staff is prohibited from "splitting" orders that exceed $2,500 into multiple Rapid Purchase Orders. Suppliers should request an approved Standard Purchase Order number for orders exceeding $2,500.
The supplier then delivers the goods and sends the invoice to Accounts Payable. If Accounts Payable receives an invoice for an unapproved PO, they will return the invoice unpaid. In some cases, the ordering department may request that the invoice be sent to them, in which case the department will then forward the invoice to Accounts Payable.
- See Delivering Goods & Services to Stanford for more information on shipping to Stanford.
- See Invoicing Stanford for more information on submitting invoices.
Purchasing Cards
Some Stanford schools and departments make purchases with a Stanford Purchasing Card. A Stanford Purchasing Card is a University-liability MasterCard issued to individual Stanford staff or department custodians, that allows schools and departments to charge Stanford related expenses up to a maximum limit of $2,500.
Stanford University staff is prohibited from "splitting" purchases that exceed $2500 into multiple Purchasing Card charges. Suppliers should request an approved Standard Purchase Order number for purchases exceeding $2,500.