Technical Procurement

Need to purchase technical equipment? Need consulting or guidance on your purchase?

We provide procurement services for computing equipment and other technology-related items for the School of Computer Science (SCS) community. We also provide consulting and planning for the purchase of equipment and peripherals, with special focus on multi-machine research environments.

We strongly recommend that all equipment purchases (both capital and non-capital) be submitted through the SCS Computing Facilities purchasing application.

Making a Purchase

You can submit a purchase request using our web-based purchasing application available to the SCS community. For more information on our purchasing application along with best-practices, policy information and more, see our SCSCF Purchasing App User Guide. 

Before you submit your request

To purchase items, please provide the following supporting documentation before submitting your order:

• The product/part you wish to purchase, the name of the vendor if already chosen and any quote you may have received for the item.
• The quantity of the product/part requested for purchase.
• The timeframe in which you need the item.
• An Oracle string(s) for the purchase. Note: Capital equipment purchases cannot be made on Oracle strings that are within 90 days of their final close.

If your equipment purchase will exceed $5,000 and you are buying with government funds from a non-preferred vendor you must obtain competitive bids and complete pages one and two of the Purchasing Checklist and Bid Summary form.

Purchases outside of SCS Computing

Items purchased with a Pcard, or those that will be reimbursed by the university, are NOT personal equipment. These purchases ARE the property of Carnegie Mellon University and need to be reflected in the registration process.

If you have purchased computing equipment outside of our standard procurement process, please ensure it is shipped to a verified department business address. Alternatively, you may use SCS Receiving (Wean Hall 3613) as a delivery location. The addressee will be contacted directly once the item arrives. 

We are happy to assist in identifying technical solutions to meet your needs. For questions regarding your purchase, compatibility or upgrade, feel free to submit a Configuration Assistance Request.

Need help configuring equipment?

Request a Consultation

Related CMU Policies

CMU policies that impact our purchasing practices:

• Purchasing Policy
• Conflict of Interest Policy