April 2026  |  Volume 10, Issue 2

Did You Know?

A newsletter curated by the Office of Strategic Procurement and Contracts

Updated Contract Request Form

We are pleased to announce that the refreshed BCM Contract Request Form officially went live on March 30, 2026. Please note that the contract request process itself remains exactly the same; this update only changes the visual layout of the form.

To help you navigate the new look, please review our updated Job Aid for creating a contract request. If you have any questions or need assistance with the update, feel free to reach out to us at BCM@Brown.edu.

Updated Data Security Review Process

We’re excited to share that several impactful updates are expected to roll out in April.

One key change involves the data security review process. The Information Security Group will be introducing an updated questionnaire in Qualtrics. This revised questionnaire will need to be completed prior to submitting a contract request.

These updates are designed to strengthen our review process and improve overall efficiency. More details and guidance will be shared soon—stay tuned!

Automation of Contract Request Validations

We’re excited to introduce an upcoming enhancement that will streamline the contract request process. Through the use of RPA and AI, contract request submissions will be automatically validated. 

This automation will allow SPC to identify and flag potential issues within minutes—rather than days—helping to reduce contract processing times and minimize duplicate reviews.

More details to follow as we prepare for launch.

Streamlining your access to support using DeskPro

To better serve you, we are moving Brown Contract Management (BCM) inquiries to the DeskPro ticketing system! Soon, you'll be able to manage all your contract questions and system help requests in one convenient place. Soon, you will be able to submit both general contract questions and system help tickets in one centralized location.

This change will allow us to:

• Streamline overall support

• Improve response times

• Ensure accurate routing to the correct team members

We’re excited to share an upcoming update to the Deskpro platform that will help us receive and respond to your questions more quickly and efficiently.

As we transition to this updated process, certain shared email inboxes will be phased out in favor of the ticketing system.

Stay tuned for more details on the upcoming launch.

Preview of upcoming changes to Sole Sourced procurements

Updates are currently underway to help clarify the University’s competitive bidding and sole source requirements, along with enhancements to the Sole Source Justification form and the development of new job aids to better support departments.

As part of this effort, you can also expect updates to requisition questions in Workday, designed to strengthen compliance with Brown’s policy and Uniform Guidance requirements.

In the meantime, we encourage you to review the current policy on Competitive Bid/Quote Requirements and Sole Source Purchases

Key reminders when submitting a Sole Source justification:

• Clearly explain why the supplier is the only viable option (no other supplier exists, unique capabilities, compatibility, or exclusive rights)

• Provide sufficient detail to support the business need and selection rationale

• Price alone is not considered a valid sole source justification; documentation of efforts to determine price reasonableness is required to be attached.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the SPC team through Deskpro

More details and resources will be shared soon—stay tuned!

Find Out How to Use Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs)

Are you looking to purchase goods not available through BrownBuys or an existing Strategic Supplier? A Group Purchasing Organization (GPO) agreement might be the perfect solution if you want to:

• Streamline your requisition: Submit a purchase without needing the Contracts Management team to review the supplier's agreement or terms and conditions on a supplier’s quote.

• Unlock hidden savings: Access additional discounts and competitive pricing you might not be aware of.

• Meet policy requirements: Automatically satisfy competitive bid requirements for purchases of $25,000 or more.

What exactly is a GPO? GPOs are organizations that leverage the collective purchasing power of their members to negotiate highly favorable contractual terms, benefits, and savings. Brown University belongs to several higher-education GPOs and consortiums, granting us access to agreements that have already gone through a rigorous, competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) process.

In most cases, utilizing these existing contracts satisfies Brown's competitive bid requirements straight away. In other instances, these agreements serve as an excellent baseline for further negotiations.

How do I utilize these agreements? It's simple! Whenever you are requesting quotes from suppliers, be sure to ask the sales representative if they are affiliated with any GPOs or consortium agreements. If they are, ensure the supplier lists the associated GPO contract number directly on the quote.

SPC is your primary point of contact for Brown GPOs. If you have questions or need assistance accessing and utilizing these agreements, please reach out to a member of the Strategic Sourcing team at Deskpro

Brown’s Community Impact & Engagement – FY25 Highlights

In Fiscal Year 2025, Brown University contributed $41.3 million in combined voluntary payments and community contributions to the City of Providence. This includes $30.2 million in community contributions supporting local priorities such as K–12 education, nonprofit partnerships, economic development, and healthcare, along with $11.1 million in direct voluntary payments to the city. Brown faculty, staff, and students also contributed nearly 70,000 volunteer hours, further demonstrating the University’s commitment to meaningful, reciprocal community partnerships.

We'd love to incorporate your community engagement data into this year's report! Please use this template and submit your report to engage@brown.edu by July 31. Reach out to Wendy Wallace (Director of Civic Engagement) at wendy_wallace@brown.edu with any questions.

Supplier Registration Timeline

The Supplier Management Team in the Controller’s Office is experiencing a higher volume of registration requests than usual, which is causing delays in the supplier registration process. Please expect a delay in response to emails as well as the processing of supplier registrations.  These delays should be taken into account when ensuring that your suppliers are registered in Workday prior to submitting contract review requests in BCM.

Financial Coordinators and Cost Center Managers should use the Supplier/Miscellaneous Payee Request Form via the “Create Request” process in Workday to request a new supplier register for payment.  The Supplier Management team will review the requests and reach out directly to the supplier by email with instructions on how they can register in Workday.

Ensuring Supplier Invoices Are Submitted Before Closing a Purchase Order

University Departments ensure that all supplier invoices are submitted and paid before a purchase order is closed. Taking a moment to confirm this helps maintain accurate procurement records and ensures payments are processed correctly.

Before a purchase order is closed, departments should:

• Confirm Fulfillment: Check with the supplier to confirm that all goods or services have been delivered and that all invoices have been submitted.

• Verify Payment Status: Ensure that submitted invoices have been processed and paid in the system.

• Resolve Outstanding Items: If any invoices are still outstanding, ask the supplier to submit them as soon as possible so they can be processed before the order is closed.

Departments and suppliers should work together to resolve any unpaid invoices or billing questions. Please note that once a purchase order is closed, additional payments or adjustments cannot be made against that order.

Thank you for your partnership in helping maintain accurate records and a smooth procurement process.

Can anyone place orders through BrownBuys?

Access to BrownBuys is only limited to University faculty and staff. The platform is hosted on Jaggaer and is integrated with Workday, and users who have access are granted purchasing authority on behalf of the University. Additionally, certain purchases made through BrownBuys (such as orders under $3,000) may be automatically approved within the system. Because of this purchasing authority and approval structure, the University has directed that access only be provisioned to faculty and staff.

As a result, student accounts are not granted access to BrownBuys catalogs or ordering functionality. 

As always, you should check with your department’s cost center manager or financial manager to be sure you are aware of the appropriate worktags and spend categories to use.

Procurement Drop-in Office Hours

Need personalized assistance with a procurement-related question? Join us for Procurement Drop-In Office Hours. 

This informal session offers a direct opportunity to connect with members of the Procurement team, who can provide real-time guidance on a wide range of topics, including:

• Requisitions

• Purchase Orders

• BrownBuys eMarketplace

• Purchasing goods or services

• Competitive Bid and Sole Source Purchases

Please note: This is not a training session. Instead, it is an open forum designed to answer your questions and provide support on procurement-related processes in real time.

Please click here to schedule your personal 15 minute session.

Agreements for the purchase of goods/services that include terms

Any supplier documentation (such as quotes, invoices, proposals, etc.) for the purchase of goods/services that include terms and conditions or hyperlinks to terms and conditions need to be reviewed by the SPC contract team through BCM. If you submit a requisition in Workday that contains supplier terms and conditions that have not been reviewed in BCM, the Procurement Operations Team will send the requisition back to the requester so that the department can submit a BCM request and the terms can be reviewed by the SPC Contract Team.

Contract Review & Processing Update

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue working through a high volume of requests and the longer-than-desired turnaround times we are generating. At this time, our capacity to accommodate expedited requests is very limited, so we strongly encourage submitting requests well in advance of your anticipated need date.

All requests are reviewed in the order they are received, with priority also given to impending contract expirations and renewals to minimize disruption to essential functions. Please know that we are actively working to process each request as quickly as possible within our current capacity.

We appreciate your continued partnership and support.

Contracting Reminders

The Requesting Department must establish, approve, and negotiate all business terms (services, fees, dates, deliverables) to be favorable to the University and within budget, while managing potential risks. This includes negotiating terms such as services, fees, duration, and deliverables that are within budget. The department's authorized officer must approve the transaction, including business terms. All contracts must then be reviewed by one of the authorized reviewing offices before the transaction begins – that is, before an item is purchased or sold, the work is to begin, or the service is provided – and before the contract is signed on behalf of the University.

5 W’s who, where, what, when, why

When submitting a contract request, always remember that the 5 W’s (who, where, what, when, why) should be clear to the Contract Manager when they approve the request and create the contract.

• Who is requesting the contract and who is the supplier?

• Where are services being rendered?

• What is the contract for? What are the goods/services being provided?

• When does the contract start and end?

• Why is this contract needed?

Other helpful hints:

• Attach the applicable terms and conditions for your goods or service purchase along with your quote or invoice.

• Request an updated quote if the expiration date is close.

• Confirm signing parties for Brown and the Supplier.

• If another reviewing office has reviewed and approved your contract, there is no need to also submit it to BCM.

BCM Job Aids and Education

There are a variety of recently updated job aids and training opportunities related to Brown Contract Management (BCM). Please visit the Strategic Procurement and Contracts page for more information.

Brown Supplier Engagement

Brown University values its relationships with suppliers, relying on a wide variety of products and services to achieve our commitment to excellence in education, research and operations.

Learn more about how to build a working relationship with Brown by visiting our new Supplier Engagement page.

Find a Strategic Supplier

Approved, centrally managed suppliers for which there is a negotiated, university-wide contract are referred to as Strategic Suppliers.

Please note the following resources, where you can find helpful information and answers to many questions:

• SPC's updated website, which we believe is easier to navigate and find information quickly 

• SPC's Monthly Newsletter for updates and helpful tips (sign up through our website or by sending an email request to Procurement@brown.edu)

• For all other future inquiries, please feel free to send an email to Procurement@brown.edu. 

• For general Brown Procurement inquiries, including order processing or BrownBuys, please submit a request for assistance