Duck Depot will undergo some updates and get added features to continue to strengthen and streamline the university’s online procurement platform.

Starting this month, users will notice small changes, including an updated color scheme, index validating and type-ahead commodity code searches. The launch of the new system will allow a small user team to help test, pilot and revise expanded features before campuswide implementation later this year.

“Duck Depot has already saved the university several million dollars per year through discounts and agreements with vendors,” said Greg Shabram, chief procurement officer with Purchasing and Contracting Services, which is partnering with the Business Affairs Office. Duck Depot offers products from more than a dozen vendors with prenegotiated discounts available for quick shipment.

The expanded features of the platform will allow departments to automatically generate purchase orders for goods and services, ultimately saving them time and money.

“Our goal is to help make the purchasing business you do every day faster and more efficient,” Shabram said.

Other future features include vendor management tools that will allow vendors to complete W-9s at the time of registration and update their own information within Duck Depot. Purchasing and Contracting Services is also working to bring more minority-owned, women-owned and sustainable vendors to the platform.

The system updates will work to centralize data about spending at the university, which will help to bring a better understanding of the spending habits and needs of each department, as well as helping Purchasing and Contracting Services negotiate better deals.

Check out the FAQ page hosted on the purchasing website for more information about the system expansion or access Duck Depot through the webpage.