[Ocees] Experiences with Purchasing and Grants administration

[Matlack, Glenn]

Hi Willem,

Yes indeed - thanks for asking!  We are all frustrated with the hyper-vigilant purchasing system.  Let me describe one of my recent experiences.

In late August I needed a few seed packets, ten sharpies, and a kilo of fertilizer to set up a plant competition experiment in the greenhouse.  These are easily available at Whites Mill and Lowes with a combined cost of ca. $30.  With my PCard and using my own car, I could have purchased them within an hour.

Instead, I needed to submit two requisition forms and interact with three staff members over a span of four days.  Looking at my email log, I see that we exchanged 14 emails to accomplish this task.  This is not an efficient use of staff or faculty time.  A trivial purchase like this should have been trusted to the individual faculty member.

If this example seems silly, let me give you another.  A year ago, I purchased six plastic food containers and a bag of plastic beads (population genetics simulation in PBIO 4350).  After a lengthy requisition process, a CAS core staff member was sent to JoAnne's to make the purchase for me.  I wasn't trusted to spend the piddling $12 myself!

Thanks for making this effort.

Best,
Glenn



From: OCEES <ocees-bounces at listserv.ohio.edu> On Behalf Of Roosenburg, Willem
Sent: Wednesday, September 8, 2021 2:38 PM
To: OCEES Listserv <ocees at listserv.ohio.edu>
Subject: [Ocees] Experiences with Purchasing and Grants administration

Dear OCEES Faculty,

On Friday the 17th I have a meeting with Howard Dewald to reveal some of our frustrations and the problems we have experienced with the new CAS purchasing system and general ability to conduct research as a consequence of current university operations and management. They want specific examples that illustrate our frustrations, so if you can provide some of those to me in writing I can pass those on to Howard with the hope that there may be a better solution. Feel free to share experiences with purchasing , grants accounting, OBI, and OIT; I think its fair to say we all at one time felt like we have beating our head against a wall. I think examples of inefficiencies would be received too.

If you will get that to me before the 17th I will collate and present them to Howard for discussion.

Thanks!

Cheers,
Willem
Willem M Roosenburg

Director, Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Studies
Department of Biological Sciences
247 Life Sciences Building
Ohio University
Athens, Ohio 45701

Office: 740.593.9669
Mobile: 740.503.4983
FAX: 740.593.0300


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