Aug. 14, 2007 -- Changes in departmental purchasing patterns are prompting U.Va.’s Procurement Services to phase out ChemStores, created more than 15 years ago to supply chemicals to laboratories expeditiously and economically, said Eric N. Denby, director of Procurement Services.
ChemStores purchased chemicals in bulk and then sold them in small quantities to laboratories at U.Va. This was designed to save money and reduce the amounts of left over chemicals of which labs dispose. But Denby said with many buyers now purchasing their chemicals on the open market, and with rapid deliveries, ChemStores had outlived its usefulness.
“We haven’t seen much of an advantage” to providing ChemStores’ services for a while, Denby said. “The University as a whole is buying about 10 times as much from outside vendors as from ChemStores.” He noted, however, that procurement would make sure the high-turnover products stocked at ChemStores would be available from a U.Va. Marketplace catalogue.
ChemStores will stop taking orders by Aug. 24, and from then will deplete its inventory until it closes completely Oct. 15. To view its on-hand inventory, visit www.virginia.edu/integratedsystem/howdoi/HTML/NAV5035U.htm.
As the inventory dwindles, Denby said ChemStores might have sales on items or seek to return them to the original manufacturer. Chemicals that cannot be sold or returned will be disposed of as hazardous waste.
Closing ChemStores will save the University money, about $175,000 in inventory alone, Denby said. The move will also free up space, about 2,000 square feet of storage and another 150 square feet of office space; it will also allow procurement to dispose of ChemStores’ delivery vehicle.
Denby said Procurement Services wants to maintain its good working relationship with University labs during this transition. For more information, contact ChemStores at 982-4925 or Procurement Services at 924-4212.
ChemStores purchased chemicals in bulk and then sold them in small quantities to laboratories at U.Va. This was designed to save money and reduce the amounts of left over chemicals of which labs dispose. But Denby said with many buyers now purchasing their chemicals on the open market, and with rapid deliveries, ChemStores had outlived its usefulness.
“We haven’t seen much of an advantage” to providing ChemStores’ services for a while, Denby said. “The University as a whole is buying about 10 times as much from outside vendors as from ChemStores.” He noted, however, that procurement would make sure the high-turnover products stocked at ChemStores would be available from a U.Va. Marketplace catalogue.
ChemStores will stop taking orders by Aug. 24, and from then will deplete its inventory until it closes completely Oct. 15. To view its on-hand inventory, visit www.virginia.edu/integratedsystem/howdoi/HTML/NAV5035U.htm.
As the inventory dwindles, Denby said ChemStores might have sales on items or seek to return them to the original manufacturer. Chemicals that cannot be sold or returned will be disposed of as hazardous waste.
Closing ChemStores will save the University money, about $175,000 in inventory alone, Denby said. The move will also free up space, about 2,000 square feet of storage and another 150 square feet of office space; it will also allow procurement to dispose of ChemStores’ delivery vehicle.
Denby said Procurement Services wants to maintain its good working relationship with University labs during this transition. For more information, contact ChemStores at 982-4925 or Procurement Services at 924-4212.
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August 14, 2007
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