Purchasing at WPI

Welcome to the home of WPI's purchasing program, brought to you by the Purchasing and Procurement subgroup of the Efficiency and Effectiveness Commission. Here you'll find a variety of information on purchasing programs and university discounts. Our intention is for this page to remain dynamic and grow with input from the community. Please send feedback to eecomm-pp@wpi.edu.

Purchasing Agreements

• WPI is a member of the Massachusetts Higher Education Purchasing Consortium (MHEC) which provides discounts on a wide range of products. Visit the MHEC Search Site to search for contract discounts.
  • Search Instructions
  • MHEC Contract List
  • MHEC Contract Pricing Extended to Faculty & Staff
  • For more information and training, please contact Joan Miller at MHEC: (413) 577-3550.
• WPI is also a member of Educational and Institutional Cooperative Purchasing (E&I). Please register on the website using your wpi.edu e-mail address.

Office Supplies

The current preferred vendor for office supplies at WPI is WB Mason. Please contact Ann Schlickmann at x5025 for more details.

Office Furniture

• While WPI has no formal agreement with a vendor, the university has a close working relationship with PW Sherman via the Colleges of Worcester Consortium (COWC) due to their very competitive pricing and their excellent customer service. You may contact Dan Curtis at PW Sherman directly.
• You may also purchase furniture from W.B. Mason through COWC. Please contact Michael Dean.
• If your furniture needs are part of a capital project please contact Chris Salter at x6060 for assistance.
• Did you know that WPI maintains a warehouse of office furniture? If you would like to browse our inventory, please contact our Property Administrator, Clarence Plant at x5137.

Department Copiers

All department copiers are leased through Administrative Services. Ann Schlickmann will bring in sales representatives from vendors who give us the best pricing, and the features you want. Ann will coordinate with CCC to ascertain the compatibility of any equipment with our WPI network.

Express Mail

• WPI maintains a contract through MHEC with UPS which provides approximately a 40% discount off normal rates for domestic and international express mail. Please contact Seth Furhman in Mail Services at x5317.
• If you would like to initiate UPS shipping from your desktop, please contact Ann Schlickmann at x5025 for details.

Travel

WPI does not currently have a contract or arrangement with a specific travel provider.

• Many departments use Internet resources to book travel:  Expedia  Orbitz  Travelocity
• For more complicated travel some offices currently use:
  • Holden Valley Travel
  • Rosenlund Travel (508) 791-2337
• Discounts are available on car rental through Enterprise Rent-a-Car. Details and a corporate discount code can be obtained through Ann Schlickmann (x5025) in Administrative Services.
• Worcester Airport Limo

Local Accommodations

WPI has arranged for discounted rates at nearby hotels. The links below utilize a WPI discount code:

• Crowne Plaza in Lincoln Square
• Hilton Garden Inn near the DCU Center

Membership Discounts

WPI is a member of several professional organizations that offer product and service discounts.

• Colleges of Worcester Consortium (Additional Information Forthcoming)

 

Conference Calls

WPI has contracts with two providers:

• AT&T
• AT Conferencing

Rates for AT Conferencing average 42% less than AT&T. Please contact Wally Bertrand at x5940 for more details. In addition the WPI phone system can support up to 5 callers on a call for free.

Web Conferencing and Video Conferencing

• WPI has a contract with Wimba to provide for web conferencing.
• Video conferencing is also available.

Printing and Copying

Did you know WPI has its own print shop? Contact Chad Farrell or Elizabeth Goyette at x5571 for more details on the exact copying and printing services they can provide.

Student Organizations

• SGA Purchasing & Finances