Engineering Professor has special purchasing need

Shortly after arriving at the University of Notre Dame in 2001 as an Associate Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, Dr. Patrick Flynn needed some very specialized equipment to complete his Computer Vision Research Laboratory with grant funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF). One item he needed was a ThermoJet Solid Object Printer, manufactured by 3D Systems. This $50,000 printer lays down hundreds of layers of a thermoplastic polymer similar to wax, with a programmed shape to each layer. In the process, it builds the 3D object from the model supplied to it through a connected computer running 3D software.

Dr.Patrick Flynn with the ThermoJet Solid Object Printer

Tim Gibney saw Flynn’s purchase requisition and justification, and began to look at the terms and conditions in the vendor quote. In layman’s terms, the contract said that Notre Dame was obliged to accept the equipment in any condition when it arrived and be responsible for it without recourse. Tim immediately contacted Dr. Flynn and said he would like to negotiate along with General Counsel better terms and conditions for the University. "I was so glad Tim Gibney from Procurement Services called and asked to be involved in this purchase," said Flynn. "Terms and conditions are sometimes difficult for the non-expert to decipher. Tim and his assistants in Procurement were quite professional and handled all the details quickly and efficiently."

It was a good thing Procurement got involved. When the printer arrived in Central Receiving, it was obvious the box containing the printer (weighing 750 pounds) had been dropped in shipment. A service technician from the company confirmed the merchandise was damaged. If the terms and conditions of the contract had not been renegotiated, the University could very well have been liable to pay for a damaged printer. With the new terms there was no question. Quick to remedy the situation, 3D Systems shipped another printer that was installed and is now in use in the Computer Vision Research Laboratory.