Finance Division

Preferred Supplier for Laboratory Consumables and Chemicals

The University, led by the Lab Users Group chaired by Dr Rob Fowler, has appointed Fisher Scientific as our preferred supplier of laboratory consumables and chemicals.

A sunny day on campus, overlooking library square. The meeting house is in the background and students are walking in the foreground.

This appointment follows consultation with our lab user community, feeding into a comprehensive tender process with input at each stage from representatives nominated by the Lab Users Group.

This agreement will leverage our combined buying power to achieve greater economies of scale and allow us to be more effective, efficient, and economical – delivering greater Value for Money for the University. The collaboration will also deliver significant improvements relating to the University’s Sustainability Strategy.

Fisher Scientific are available on the University’s punchout catalogue

Key Benefits for The University:

  • Single point of contact for all chemical and consumable enquiries
  • Standardised and simplified processes for purchasing
  • Cost savings on a wide variety of products – switch and save
  • Consolidation of deliveries will reduce CO2 emissions
  • Improved systems integration
  • Improved visibility and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
  • Reduction of environmental impact
  • Improve and streamline P2P (Purchase to Pay) processes
  • Increased value for money

Benefits for Researchers:

  • Access to product specialists to provide guidance and support to ensure products are fit for purpose
  • Greater access to a wide array of suppliers and services though a single well-established point of purchase
    • Simple lookup alternative product code comparison
  • Greater service and support from a single company
  • Wealth of green/sustainable initiatives:
    • Variety of recycling programmes – glove/mixed recycling, bottle and tip box collection
    • Greener product packaging initiatives
    • ‘Greener Choice Programme’ – easily identify products with green credentials
  • Access to money-saving ‘New Lab Start-Up’ schemes
  • Access to the Fishersci.co.uk tool which allows:
    • Visibility of all available stock for quick delivery
    • Checking the status of existing orders
    • Access to invoices and all discounted University of Sussex prices 
  • A dedicated Fisher Account Manager who can answer questions, provide training on Fisher online tools and organise supplier demonstrations if required
  • Ability to negotiate with suppliers for out-of-process solutions:
    • Providing loan equipment to prevent disruption of research until ordered item can be delivered
    • Request samples to trial ahead of purchase

Useful information

Process flowchart [PDF 50.66KB]

Commonly Purchased items [XLSX 51.90KB]

Fisher Scientific Help and Support Centre

Contact details:

FisherUK.CustomerService@thermofisher.com or 01509 555 500 who can either help you directly or pass you to the Fisher Product support team.

FinanceServiceDesk@sussex.ac.uk for any university specific issues (e.g. access to punchout).

FAQs

1. Why are we trying to just go with one preferred supplier for lab consumables?

By prioritising one supplier we get access to cost savings on a wide range of products. With Fisher we have greater access to a wider array of suppliers and services though a single well-established point of purchase. We also will enjoy greater service and support from a single company. Consolidation of deliveries will also reduce CO2 emissions.

2. What are the advantages for me of having a preferred supplier for lab consumables?

You should see a reduction in cost of lab consumables which will become significant over time. Your labs will also benefit from greater sustainability factors such as recycling initiatives as part of the Fisher service.

3. How were Fisher selected as the preferred supplier of lab consumables?

We used the Southern University Procurement Consortia Framework for Laboratory Consumables and Chemicals to run a mini competition to select the best supplier who in terms of product coverage, sustainability, price and value add addressed the universities requirements.

An evaluation panel was made up of a subsection of the Laboratory Users Group who have been kept informed of the progress of the tender throughout.

4. When will this take place?

Fisher will become the preferred supplier of lab consumables from 5 November 2021.

5. Will I still be able to order the consumables I know and trust?

Fisher and their third-party suppliers offer a vast array of consumables and chemicals, some of which are produced by companies you may well have ordered from previously. Under this new agreement you should use Fisher unless they are unable to meet your supply requirements.

6. What if Fisher cannot supply something essential for my research?

If Fisher cannot readily provide an essential consumable for your experiments, and you have spoken to both your technical manager and the Fisher sales rep, then it is possible to use other existing suppliers. It may be that Fisher can source what you need and it is not easily found on the Punchout system. Other suppliers will not be actively removed from the purchasing system (Unit 4), until a review of the Fisher provision has been conducted.

7. How will the use of the preferred supplier be observed and assessed?

Alternative supplier use for lab consumables will be monitored by the Lab User Group, supported by Procurement. Off-contract spend will be reviewed to understand the cause and what, if any improvements need to be made to achieve fuller engagement with the Service.

8. How do I go about ordering through Fisher rather than my current supplier?

There are a number of ways to help you transition you purchase through Fisher:

  • Step 1 - Check the Fisher website – Fishersci.co.uk – Here you can often search using competitor codes from VWR, SLS or Merck to find either the exact same product if available or a close cost effective alternative
  • Step 2 - Check the Cross-Ref document – see useful information above – Here we have put together a document of commonly purchased items along with corresponding Fisher alternatives
  • Step 3 - Contact the Fisher team – if alternatives are not available in step 1 or 2, please contact Fisher Customer Services at FisherUK.CustomerService@thermofisher.com or 01509 555 500 who can either help you directly or pass you to the Fisher Product support team
  • Any further issues, please contact our Fisher account manager – Becky Clarke at becky.clarke@thermofisher.com