Everyday office supplies and copies can run a high bill for college departments, especially at a large University such as LSU.
Although shopping around could be helpful when working with a budget, requiring departments to go through Graphic Services and University stores does not make this an option.
Mary Neathery, economics department administrative specialist, said some places are less pricey, but she still has to buy through the University.
If faculty and staff want costs to come from their departments and not their own pockets, they have to comply with this rule.
“Office supplies are cheaper at Office Depot,” Neathery said. “I think the University as a whole gets a discount. Someone gets the benefit from that, but it’s not us.”
Rose Mary Wilhelm, executive director for the Purchasing Office, says departments do not need to shop around; the University has already done it.
      Wilhelm said when dealing with large purchases, the University sends bids to several different companies. Whoever offers the lowest price for the job needed gets a contract.
Wilhelm said by signing a contract with one vendor for things such as copies and office supplies, the University saves money and time.
“Purchasing orders and processing outside the University cost about $150 per transaction,” Wilhelm said.
Wilhelm said if a department finds a significant price difference somewhere other than the University, she will work with it to make best use of its budget.
Mike Loyd, Graphic Services director, said with new machines, Graphic Services offers the cheapest rate in town.
He said making Graphic Services the primary source for copies and supplies in 1986 also has cut down on purchase invoices from transactions, saving the University millions of dollars.
Loyd said according to the Center for Advanced Purchasing Studies, it costs approximately $125 to process an individual invoice.
“At the time, the University was processing 400 separate invoices monthly and dropped that to 13 monthly, which resulted in $580,000 in savings,” Loyd said.
He said each year, copier management saves the University $1,580,500, adding up to a total of $25,288,000 in nearly 16 years.
Despite the savings, going through one company still poses an inconvenience for some faculty.
Neathery said it would be easier to go to a store and get supplies immediately rather than wait for an order to be processed through University stores.
“If you order through them, you have to wait at least a day or two,” Neathery said.
Andrèe Gingles, foreign language administrative specialist, said it would be nice to have the option to go elsewhere, but ordering through the University has not been a problem.
“If we find something cheaper or they don’t have an item we need, we can still go outside,” Gingles said.
Wilhelm said the University tries to be very competitive, and she only receives about two or three complaints per year.