The UNM Purchasing Department hosts its annual Small Business and Strategic Partner Vendor Fair on Wednesday, April 27, in Student Union Building Ballrooms A, B and C. The event is scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m. and run until 1:30 p.m. The fair facilitates networking opportunities for participants to build new business relationships and strengthen existing ones within the UNM community.
The fair offers a whole host of benefits for both the vendors and UNM departments for short or long term needs. An attendee may find a vendor that provides a needed one time commodity or a department may find a vendor that fulfills a constant specific service need.
Chief Procurement Officer Bruce Cherrin describes the impetus for the Fair which is in its 21st year. "It establishes connections between local businesses, strategic suppliers and department representatives responsible for purchasing.”
The fair is dedicated to forming successful business relationships that maximize savings for the University, as well as providing opportunities to small, disadvantaged, and/or woman-owned businesses through Purchasing’s Minority/Woman Owned Business Program. An example of one of these successful partnerships is with the University and Sandia Office Supply, a minority owned business, who is now an office supply vendor to UNM, Bernalillo County and the State of New Mexico.
Vendors at the fair will be diverse and offer a wide range of products and services. Purchasing is expecting to have close to 80 booths this year, including booths for Purchasing, Accounts Payable and PCard. Vendors will have the opportunity to speak directly with key Purchasing staff representatives and learn about procurement opportunities face to face. Vendors ask that department representatives please bring their business cards to the Fair.
Registration forms for vendors are available here, and are due by April 20. For more information contact the UNM Purchasing Department at purch@unm.edu.