Delivering Goods and Services to Stanford

When an international shipment is sent to Stanford, customs forms and fees as well as freight forwarding services will need to be provided by the authorized customs broker for the university.

Tariffs on Imported Items

A tariff is a tax or duty imposed by a government on goods (not services, generally) brought into a country. The importing business pays this duty to its government. The business often passes this cost on to the customer. If buying straight from a manufacturer, the shipping company, such as UPS, FedEx, or DHL, may pay the duty to the government and invoice the customer for this additional cost.

Tariff Exemptions

Under the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended by Public Law 89-651 (The Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Materials Importation Act of 1966), qualifying nonprofit institutions, colleges, universities, and laboratories can apply to import eligible scientific equipment duty-free for research and educational purposes. Examples may be scientific instruments or equipment where there is no similar product made in the United States.

Application process

• Start the process early; at least six (6) months prior to the intended import date. Note that due to delays caused by higher volumes of exemption requests (and reductions in federal staffing) processing times may be significantly longer. These delays may result in the purchaser being required to pay the tariffs to get the equipment first and attempt to claim a refund if and when the waiver is granted.
• Review documentation requirements within the ITA-338P Form. The Stanford department must fill out the form detailing the instrument, how it will be used by Stanford, and justification for duty-free import.
• Stanford must be the importer of record (e.g. Stanford is responsible for shipping and importation arrangements via the use of Stanford’s authorized customs broker in order to file the application).
• The School or Unit must obtain written approval from the Department of Commerce and present it to Customs through the authorized customs broker.

Sustainable packaging is a key component to achieving Stanford’s goals of net zero carbon emissions in university operations by 2050 and zero waste by 2030. The university collaborates with suppliers to minimize the environmental impact of packaging while ensuring product protection.  By following these guidelines, both Stanford and its suppliers can reduce environmental footprint and potentially reduce costs.

Stanford requires that supplier packaging:

• Is compostable and recyclable per the Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act (SB 54).
• Complies with SB 343, prohibiting the recycling symbol unless certain criteria are met.
• Complies with AB 1201, prohibiting compostable labeling unless it meets specific criteria.
• Is free of environmental toxins in accordance with all local, state, and federal regulations.

Stanford’s packaging recommendations

Stanford encourages supplier packaging that meets at least one of the following, ranked by priority:

1. Eliminate unnecessary packaging: Products are protected without the use of excessive materials, like oversized boxes or individual wraps.
2. Use reusable packaging: Stanford supports pilot programs for reusable packaging options, such as totes or containers.
3. Maximize recycled content: Utilization of up to 100% post-consumer recycled content, ensuring packaging is labeled for recyclability and compostability as required by California law.
4. Use bulk packaging: Ship items to the same destination in one package when possible.
5. Avoid non-divertible materials*, which include:
   1. Expanded plastic foam (except for laboratory or medical uses).
   2. Mixed material packaging that cannot be easily separated.

*If any packaging cannot be diverted from landfills, suppliers are encouraged to offer a take-back program for that packaging.

The university does not have a central receiving location and most buildings do not have a receiving dock. The exception is radioactive goods (see below).

The department the supplier is working with provides the delivery instructions that are included on purchase order (PO). If any of the following details are missing, the supplier should contact the department to ensure a successful delivery:

• Ship-to address, including (street, city, state and ZIP) or if a pickup option is indicated.
• Delivery Timeframe for the specified address
• Building Name
• Department Name
• Room Number: The exact delivery room
• Recipient’s contact Information: Confirm the recipient’s name (first and last) and phone number, which may differ from the order details. 

After verifying the delivery instructions with the department contact, suppliers should relay them to their drivers or delivery carriers (e.g., FedEx, UPS).

Departments can refer to How To: Create a Standard Non-Catalog Requisition for guidance on reviewing and/or updating delivery information that will display on the PO. 

Shipping and Delivering Radioactive Products

Suppliers are required to ship all radioactive products to Stanford's Health Physics Inspection Station for examination and verification of a Controlled Radiation Authority (CRA) number. The Health Physics Inspection Station will record all radioactive products delivered to campus and then deliver them to the appropriate department.

Deliver radioactive products to:

Health Physics Inspection Station
820 Quarry Road
Stanford University
Palo Alto, CA 94304

Holiday Closures

Stanford University has an extended winter closure at the end of the year. The purchase order (PO) instructs suppliers to hold all orders during this period unless the department indicates it will be open to accept deliveries. Suppliers should confirm with the department if and when someone will be available for delivery and identify the appropriate contact for building access, as the building is likely to be locked. In addition to the winter closure, refer to the Stanford University Human Resources website for designated holidays at Stanford.

Parking at Stanford is permissible only in visitor lots, metered parking spaces or specially designated lots/spaces for vehicles with permits.

Refer to the Stanford Transportation Parking for Service and Delivery Vehicles webpage for specific information, including: 

• Service and delivery permit types and pricing
• Sponsorship and application forms
• Restrictions and exceptions
• Special services for contractors
   

The Main Quad is closed to all delivery vehicles and most other areas of campus have restricted access. Expect that any delivery driver will need to park and walk to deliver all products to the correct location.

Parking and Transportation Services provides a variety of campus maps.

Refer to the Stanford Transportation Maps, Resources and Access webpage to find:

• Parking and Circulation Campus Map
• Pedestrian Zone Access Map
• Service and Delivery Map
• Truck Route Map
• Bus Loading and Parking Map
• Visitor Map
• Stanford Redwood City Directory

Suppliers may use the interactive searchable campus map to find a location on campus by searching on building name, department, address or facility ID. 

Computing Resources

Some consultants, contractors and temporary employees will need access to the Stanford University Network of computing resources in support of legitimate university work. In this case, the sponsoring department will provide a sponsored SUNet ID. A SUNet ID is a unique three- to eight-character account name that identifies members of the Stanford community. It appears in all Stanford email addresses and is used as a login ID to Stanford online systems. The sponsor is responsible for ensuring that the sponsored SUNet ID is used in support of the university's mission and in accordance with the university's policies.

Temporary Guest Accounts for Local Network Access

For Stanford guests who just need wireless access to the university’s local network in order to use the internet (for instance, to get to their mailbox on another campus), ITSS provides free, temporary guest accounts. These guest accounts are not the same as SUNet IDs.

A guest account only allows the guest to connect a wireless computer to the wireless network and provides no other network rights or services. Guests requiring other SUNet services, such as local Stanford email or access to Stanford-only websites, will need to be sponsored for a SUNet ID.

Suppliers needing a guest account should make arrangements through their sponsoring school or department staff.