Frequently Asked Questions

A new contract for office related products (including general office supplies, paper, & toner) has been awarded to Staples Advantage. The contract went into effect September 1, 2015.

• How do I place my order?

  Orders must be placed through the TigerBuy punchout. All orders under or over $5,000 will be placed on the requestor’s PCard through TigerBuy.

  You will no longer log in to the Staples Advantage website and do not need to set up an account as all employees are set up in TigerBuy to use the punchout suppliers.

• What can I order from Staples Advantage?

  You can order all office supplies including paper and toner/ink cartridges. This contract does not include computer peripherals, printers, or copiers.

• Who is my Staples Advantage representative?

  Your sales representative for office supplies is Shelley Hinton. Her email address is shelley.hinton@staples.com.

• Are we prevented from making purchases at the AU Bookstore?

  No. While next day delivery will be available to campus and many outlying units, you may have a need for some office related products on a same day basis and may find that sending an employee to a local office supply store is not an efficient use of time and money. In those cases, there is no problem with making the purchase from the AU Bookstore. In general, in any other situations, you should use advance planning (where possible) and let pricing drive your purchase decisions.

• Are we required to purchase from this Preferred Vendor contract?

  Yes, you are required to purchase from this Preferred Vendor contract. Staples Advantage has been designated as the "Preferred Vendor" for AU for office related products as the result of a competitive bid process. In general, making purchases outside the contract shouldn't be necessary. We understand from time to time there may be a justifiable reason to purchase off contract through a different vendor. However, when the need arises, you are potentially violating the bid law, as all of our contracts have been competitively bid and awarded. In that situation, please attach a note of explanation to the voucher/purchasing card recon.

• When and how are Staples orders delivered?

  Orders for in stock items received by 4:00 p.m. CT will be delivered from their state of the art Atlanta distribution center on the next business day directly to the ship to location contained in your user profile.

• Is there a minimum order amount when placing orders with Staples Advantage?

  Yes, there is a $35 minimum order amount under this contract.

Please contact Amanda Hallmark at amh0271@auburn.edu in PBS or call 844-3559, if you have any additional questions.