The University of Pennsylvania is a private Ivy League institution with significant purchasing activity supporting its academic and research missions. Penn has a decentralized purchasing environment whereby purchasing responsibilities are distributed across the University. Within this environment, Penn Procurement Services provides central oversight of strategic sourcing, contracting, and supplier management. The team also works closely with its procure-to-pay (P2P) collarborators at Penn to implement and manage the P2P systems and tools that are offered to the University and its suppliers.
Commitment to Economic Inclusion
Procurement Services is committed to providing local and diverse companies opportunities to compete for business. The team also engages extensively with internal and external organizations and agencies to help advance its economic inclusion impact in Philadelphia and the region. It is important to Penn that its suppliers share this commitment to diversity and strive to utilize local businesses in their own supply chains.
Commitment to Environmental Sustainability
As a signatory to the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment, the University is committed to environmental stewardship. Suppliers are expected to support the University's environmental sustainability efforts and to promote sustainable business practices within their own organizations.
Conducting Business with Penn
It is Penn’s directive that business with the University may only be performed following the creation of an approved University Purchase Order (PO) or upon authorization of a purchasing card payment for small, miscellaneous goods purchases. For business completed via PO, all invoices submitted to Penn must clearly reference the PO number to avoid delays in processing.
For suppliers who are established as approved suppliers, utilizing the supplier portal functionality of Penn Marketplace will ensure the greatest ease of doing business. The online portal allows suppliers to manage company information, view open POs, view open invoices and payments due, and submit invoices electronically.
If your company is an approved Penn supplier and not yet registered in the portal and would like to additional information, please contact SupplierSupport@upenn.edu.