Identifying preferred vendors for common indirect spend categories is an important element of our strategic efforts to optimize and streamline our indirect procurement process. Mauser Packaging Solutions (MPS) has identified preferred vendors in North America for two indirect spend categories – Office Supplies and Power, Transmission & Bearings (an MRO sub-category).
Office Supplies
Staples has been identified as the preferred vendor for office supplies. Through an agreement with CoreTrust, a leading commercial sourcing agency, MPS will have access to aggressive pricing for office supplies with Staples. A pricing analysis comparing MPS’s previous purchases from Staples, Warehouse Direct and other current office supply vendors determined that the CoreTrust contract prices on average are significantly below what MPS is currently paying. Office supply key categories include folder, Post-Its, markers, pens, staplers, notepads, clips, storage & organization, binders, tape, stamps, clipboards, copy paper, toners & ink and other office consumables.
Specialty MRO Products
Procurement Advisors Group (PA) has been identified as the preferred vendor for Specialty MRO (maintenance, repair, and operation) purchases. With the transition to PA, MPS will have access to very aggressive pricing through Applied Industrial Technologies (AIT) for our specialty MRO needs. A pricing analysis comparing MPS’s previous purchases from Applied, Motion and other current MRO vendors determined that the PA contract prices on average are noticeably below what MPS is currently paying. Specialty MRO key categories include bearings, pneumatics, hydraulics, power transmission, material handling, controls, linear motion, lubrication, adhesives and sealants. AIT is an industrial distributor that offers more than 6 million MRO parts and can provide representation at local level from more than 550 service centers across North America.
Both newly identified preferred vendors provide free, next day delivery on most orders. Exceptions apply for special orders (non-catalog items), unusual/non-standard requirements, and expedited requests.
All MPS needs for Office Supplies and Power, Transmission & Bearings categories should be received as requisitions via the Indirect Procurement Portal and will be directed to Staples and Applied Industrial Technologies, respectively, to ensure MPS is utilizing the full scale of benefits from these pre-negotiated programs. Requisitions can be entered by approved Portal users.
Agreements for other indirect spend categories are in process and will be communicated as they become available. Additional categories will be considered for preferred vendor agreements as needs are identified based on procurement requests submitted through the Indirect Procurement Portal. By funneling all indirect procurement request through this portal, we can gain a clearer understanding of our indirect procurement needs and can streamline the procurement process through things such as preferred vendor agreements.
For Indirect Procurement Portal access or training requests, contact Alexandria Burek.