The University of Pittsburgh, Penn State and Temple University are joining forces — to share office supplies.

The three state-related universities announced Tuesday that they successfully filed for a joint contract for office supplies that will save the schools an estimated $400,000.

University officials framed the contract as a way to ease operating costs. This year, all three schools raised their tuition costs for students.

“One thing that all of Pennsylvania’s state-related universities have in common is a commitment to working to keep tuition costs as low as possible. We owe that to our students, and we owe that to our legislators who support us each year through the state appropriation,” Ken Kaiser, Temple’s senior vice president and chief operating officer, said in a news release.

“What we have seen in recent years is near unprecedented levels of inflation, so we must be creative and proactive when it comes to identifying any opportunity that might help us cut costs and better support our students. That was part of the impetus behind this collaboration.”

A partnership between ODP Business Solutions and Philadelphia-based Supra Office Solutions made the collaboration possible. The joint proposal totals $5.3 million and accounts for each school’s customer service, delivery and product needs.

Pitt has contracted with both companies since 2013, according to Maureen Beal, the university’s associate vice chancellor for financial operations.

“The partnership between ODP and Supra has a proven track record in meeting the specific office supply needs of institutions in higher education at very competitive pricing, including a number of sustainability programs that support university-specific goals,” Ms. Beal said in the release.

The companies will have dedicated account managers for each campus and will offer internships to their students, the release says. 

First Published: September 11, 2024, 5:09 p.m.
Updated: September 12, 2024, 11:40 a.m.