Universities, research institutes and commercial laboratories usually need a written quotation and a purchase order reference before they can buy, and documentation with the order. This route exists for that. The commercial terms themselves are the same as for every other order.

What the route covers

• Purchase order references — your institution’s PO reference is carried on the order and its documentation.
• Quotations — a written quotation for a basket of materials, which most procurement systems require before a PO can be raised.
• Lot continuity — where a study needs multiple units of the same material from a single lot, that has to be reserved at the point of order rather than discovered later.
• Documentation with the order — the certificate for each lot supplied, issued with the consignment.

What to include in an enquiry

Institution and department, a delivery address, the materials and quantities as catalogued, your PO reference if one has been raised, and whether lot continuity is required across the order.

Research-use boundary

Materials are supplied for laboratory research only. The boundary applies identically to institutional orders and individual ones, and is not varied by order size or by the status of the purchasing organisation.