How to buy products and services at UW–Madison, including how to get started making a purchase, who to buy from, who to contact, and how to pay.
Common tasks
How to make a purchase
A guided introduction on following the rules when purchasing products and services at UW-Madison, including buying for yourself and getting help.
Purchasing Cards
How to apply for a purchasing card, allowable purchases and managing your account.
Find a vendor/contract
Use a contracted vendor that has already gone through a formal bidding solicitation which do not require additional paperwork before making a purchase
Manage your order
Including requisition status, encumbrance, making changes on your order and closing orders.
Simplified Bid Process
Used when the estimated cost of a transaction is between $5,000 and $50,000 and is not available at ShopUW+ or through a contract.
Sell to UW–Madison
Steps to take for businesses to become aware of procurement opportunities available in commodity areas. There is no “approved vendor” list.
Agent resources
Tools and resources only for UW–Madison delegated purchasing agents to help with the procurement process.
Purchasing Specialists
Full list of our Purchasing Specialists per area of expertise.
Purchasing Resources
ShopUW+
The ShopUW+ Essentials website is your hub for everything related to ShopUW+.
Surplus With a Purpose (SWAP)
UW–Madison’s surplus property store. Over 20 tons of surplus property received every week and re-purposed locally or sold through our online auction.
Materials Distribution Service (MDS)
UW–Madison Material Distribution Services (MDS) owns and operates a warehouse in Verona that serves as the primary point of receiving, consolidation, and distribution for campus.
Products, Services, and Requisition Status
How to buy products
These purchases might include office supplies, computers, and lab equipment. Some purchases can be made without additional approvals, others may require the help of a procurement specialist.
How to buy services
These kinds of purchases might include maintenance, construction, speakers, marketing and other services from vendors on-contract, or not on-contract.
Check a requisition status
Check in to see the status of your request after the requisition (first step of a purchase order) has been made.
Policies and procedures
Following business policies and procedures are essential to making sure UW–Madison and all its resources are in compliance which helps minimize risk to the university, establishes fairness in practice, and helps create understandable guidelines to follow.
