Efficiency Beyond Expectations!
Before the first UC-wide Microscope Agreements were delivered by UC Systemwide Procurement in early 2023, microscopes routinely required months to purchase. Every campus needed different information to create a purchase order (PO), pricing was inconsistent among campuses, and sales and delivery schedules varied.
Since implementing the Carl Zeiss contract this spring, microscope purchases are going from quote to PO in two days!
Nathan Lane has been selling Zeiss microscopes to UC campuses for 25 years. During a recent conversation, he lauded the new Carl Zeiss microscope contract for its immediate impact on the speed to turn a quote into a purchase order. Nathan was overjoyed to share that this efficiency has gone beyond the Zeiss teams’ expectations.
Nathan compared the experience of creating the Zeiss contract to a textbook example of a “collaborative negotiation,” a style of negotiation frequently used by UC Systemwide Procurement. A collaborative negotiation values long term partnership, cooperation, and the ability to agree on mutual benefit. The only consequence to a collaborative negotiation is the increased time and effort that may be required in the contracting process.
Nathan relayed that at one point in the negotiations phase with UC Strategic Sourcing Category Manager, Robert Stueber, an agreement could not be reached. Everyone assumed that the negotiation was over. But with an eye on mutual benefit, Robert persisted and brought everyone back to the table to successfully execute a contract that satisfied all parties. Nathan expressed the Zeiss teams’ gratitude to UC, Robert, and the campus Chief Procurement Officers who made this contract possible.