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Response to

Iowa Biotech AssociationScientific Supplies - RFP# 2011-14526

February 10, 2012

VWR International, LLC1.800.932.5000VWR.com

Shelley WhiteRegion Manager

[email protected]

Response to IBA 2011-14526 RFP

Executive Overview

IntroductionThis document details our experiences, the flexibility of our solution and the innovation we will bring to the Iowa Biotech Association as your strategic partner.

At the core of VWR’s response is our knowledge of the academic and biomedical research markets and our clear understanding of the position the IBA holds as one of the strongest state biotech advocates in the country.

We trust that after reading through this document you will come to the conclusion that VWR is the one company with the experience, technology, flexibility, and commitment to accomplish your vision.

Procurement ObjectivesVWR International serves as the primary supplier of laboratory products and services to hundreds of state biotech organizations, academic institutions and biotech companies throughout the United States. Over the years, we have established a very successful track record of meeting the product, systems, services, technical and process needs of the biotech and academic communities. We fully understand and support the IBA’s procurement objectives. We recognize that enhancement of service to your membership community must be at the core of solutions developed by this partnership. VWR commits to work jointly with the IBA in realizing the following goals and strategies:

Goals Strategies

Competitive Pricing Offer highly competitive pricing on the products you use now and in the future

Online ordering An industry leading website that enables the tools and features IBA members require, while providing data security, live inventory and contracted pricing

Tiered Growth Incentive Annual financial benefit of up to 4% back for growth of purchase dollars over prior year

Rapid Implementation Incentive A lucrative 10% financial incentive for rapid agreement implementation

VWR Brand Incentive Additional financial benefit for purchase of VWR brand products

Quality Tenured Representation VWR Team in Iowa servicing the IBA membership is extremely experienced, ethical and knowledgeable.

Dedicated Customer Service To meet the expectations and requirements of the IBA and membership in a timely, experienced manner

Accurate, Reportable Cost Savings Providing the tools and product options to produce auditable, detailed cost savings throughout the duration of the partnership

5/9/2023 P a g e | 2VWR International - Confidential & Proprietary Information


SECTION I

See Attachment 1 for exceptions to IBA RFP.



SECTION IIVENDOR SERVICES

2.1 Minimum Requirements

To be considered, each Proposal must be received on time; signed by Prospective Bidder’s authorized representative and must meet the administrative and mandatory requirements set forth below:

Prospective Bidder must agree and have the ability to:

Provide an online catalog and online ordering; Provide 85% of the products requested in the RFP; Provide alternate products on request; Prevent and control forced substitutions; Provide dedicated service representatives; Provide training as described in the RFP; Provide access to a Delivery and Distribution system; Assign key management individuals to the IBA accounts; Meet delivery expectations as outlined in the RFP; Meet reporting requirements as contained in the RFP; Adhere to the freight policy outlined in the RFP; Provide references as outlined in the RFP; Provide shipping/package slips as outlined in the RFP; Provide return product functionality; Adequately manage contract on an account of this size; Implement systems and communicate efficiently across all agencies; Provide disaster emergency recovery plans; Audit for pricing discrepancies; Interface consistently with SciQuest and other procurement systems; Document targeted small business program participants.

2.2 Product Offering

This request for proposal should encompass all products and services offered by Prospective Bidder and its affiliates (e.g. parent company, sister company, subsidiary, etc.). The goal is for IBA members to have a one-stop shopping contract for scientific equipment and supplies. Companies with wholly-owned affiliates should offer discounts on those products as well. If the discount structure is different due to a business model or targeted market, please include and submit Proposals for each affiliate.

VWR International, LLC, headquartered in Radnor, Pennsylvania, is a leading global laboratory supply company with worldwide sales of $3.6 billion US dollars. VWR International's business is highly diversified across products and services, geographic regions and customer segments. The company offers products from a wide range of manufacturers to a large number of customers primarily in North America, Europe and Asia. VWR International's principal customers are major pharmaceutical, biotechnology, industrial and government organizations as well as universities and schools. For almost 160 years, VWR International has supported customers with strength, vision and innovation. With over 1.5 Million products, VWR International distributes a diversified product mix, including chemicals, glassware and plasticware, equipment and instruments, furniture, protective apparel, production and safety products and other life science and laboratory products and supplies. VWR International additionally supports its customers by providing services such as storeroom management, product procurement, supply chain systems integration, technical services and laboratory bench top delivery. VWR International maintains operations in over 26 countries and employs over 7,000 people worldwide.

2.3 Product Availability



Prospective Bidders shall provide inventory at an acceptable level to service the IBA Membership Participants without undue delays. Typically the IBA would expect warehouse stocking at levels 10% above the anticipated combined needs of the IBA. The Prospective Bidder shall agree that there will be no cancellation or substitution of products without an equal or an acceptable replacement approved by the IBA during the term of the Agreement.

Failure to maintain adequate inventory of all contracted items shall, in the sole opinion of the Consortium, be cause for termination of any contract awarded as a result of this RFP. Prospective Bidder shall communicate manufacturer’s discontinuation of any products to the designated Consortium member’s contract administrator within ten (10) business days of notification by manufacturer to the Prospective Bidders. In such instances, Prospective Bidder shall work with the designated contract administrator to identify and implement alternative options that shall maintain or reduce costs. Prospective Bidder shall be prepared to offer detailed quarterly reports, if requested by the IBA displaying removed SKUs off of contract list and suggested replacements. Prospective Bidder shall offer suggested replacements of discontinued products at least 30 days prior to substitution, including replacement part number, description, list price, applicable discount (which shall be the same or be greater than the discontinued items), and final price.

When responding to this section please:

a) Describe Prospective Bidder’s ability to communicate manufacturers’ discontinuation of products and suggest replacements in the manner outlined above.

VWR’s history and expertise centers around the successful inventory management of products for our customer, should VWR be fortunate enough to earn the Primary Supplier award for the IBA’s business we would execute an implementation process to address the core item requirements and stocking levels for the IBA Membership.

VWR takes management of product changes very seriously as we realize the importance of this and the risk it represents. VWR has standard distribution agreement language with its suppliers to ensure controls around changes to manufacturers’ product or the process. Additionally, VWR has instituted the Change Notice Verification Service (CNVS) as additional controls for management of changes to critical materials.

VWR Brand Products

Suppliers are contractually required to notify VWR of any changes to our VWR brand products with the following clause in our agreements;

Supplier must notify distributor in writing no less than six months before making any material change to any Product or to the process for making any Product. A material change shall mean any change that may affect the form, fit, function, reliability, stability, product labeling, appearance, or interchangeability of any Products or components thereof.

Branded manufacturer Products

Our branded suppliers are contractually required to notify VWR of any changes to their products with the following clause in our agreements.

Supplier must notify VWR, in writing no less than thirty (30) days prior to any change to Product including, but not limited to, manufacturing process or location, labeling, raw materials, packaging, characterization, specification, analytical testing or origin, or any other change affecting form, fit or function of the affected Products. VWR shall have the right to audit SUPPLIER’s facilities to determine compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations and rules and other requirements applicable to the Products. Such audits shall be scheduled at mutually agreeable times upon reasonable advance written notice to SUPPLIER, shall be at VWR’s expense, and shall not occur more than one (1) time per calendar year unless required by SUPPLIER’s compliance status or VWR’s obligations to its customers. In connection with performing such audits, VWR shall comply with all reasonable rules and regulations promulgated by SUPPLIER. All information disclosed or



reviewed in such inspections shall be deemed to be the property of SUPPLIER and SUPPLIER Confidential Information.”

Once notified by the supplier, VWR processes notification through our customer notification system. For those customers or products not registered with the system, the VWR sales team is notified of product changes to communicate with their customers using the affected products. To assure communications have occurred, VWR changes the part numbers of affected products, discontinuing the legacy product.

Change Notice Verification Service (CNVS)

VWR has established a service to facilitate the communication of change notices from our suppliers to our customers. For applicable products, the “Change Notice Verification Service” (CNVS) will track supplier change notifications and verify that enrolled customers have received the supplier’s notices. VWR will not assume the supplier’s responsibility for Change Notification. What constitutes a change is determined by individual suppliers and is not subject to approval by VWR. The Change Notice Verification Service is subject to VWR’s actual receipt of any change notification from the manufacturers of the products.

VWR supports our customers' Change Management Programs by enrolling our customers and the specific products into our CNVS. Agreements are sought from each supplier of each product to be enrolled, to notify our customers and VWR. When a change notice is communicated for an enrolled product, VWR physically confirms that the enrolled customer has received the notification and the event is noted in the CNVS system.

Unique or specialized customer requirements are easily managed in the CNVS by working with our suppliers to meet those needs for a range of materials or a single product of a particular size.

Change Management support through the CNVS is independent of usage of any particular item and communications are sent when Change Notifications (including discontinuation/interruptions of supply) are received.

When a customer orders an item that has been discontinued, an alternative product would be offered to the customer. VWR has an extensive on-line cross-referencing system, “Cross-Plus”. This cross-reference system is utilized routinely by Customer Service and On-Site Customer Service Associates to provide immediate product alternatives to the customer. If an alternative product is not provided, a VWR associate would utilize our Vendor and VWR technical support to locate an alternative.

b) Include what percentage of supplier’s catalog is covered by category discounts.

VWR has offered a comprehensive discount of our entire catalog; 100%.

2.4 New Items

In the event that new product lines are introduced or offered by Prospective Bidder subsequent to contract award, which were not available during the bid process, these products will be incorporated into this agreement if The Consortium determines incorporation to be beneficial. The Consortium will negotiate a mutually agreeable, competitive discount structure with the contract holder. As a general rule, new products in discounted categories will retain the original category discount, e.g. a new Corning glass petri dish will be added under the Corning glassware category discount. Any deviation from this process must be approved by the IBA Procurement Committee.

When responding to this section please describe the process that will be followed for identifying, categorizing, adding and pricing new items.

VWR introduces to our customers over 30,000 new products every year.



Generally, customer need and request determine the product and breath of a product line. VWR solicits customer input and with their assistance, evaluates the new product comparing it to an existing product or the additional features and functionality. VWR has a product evaluation methodology that entails Regulatory, Quality, Specifications, Packaging, Price, Supplier Capacity and Acceptance reviews. Once a product meets all VWR requirements, the top supplier is awarded the business and moves the process to product implementation.

Within VWR’s pricing system, each pricing contract may have thousands of account numbers tied to it. All accounts tied to the same contract receive identical pricing, as prices are calculated at the contract level. This enables multiple sites to receive identical pricing regardless of geographical location, department, or sales territory.

As a result of the product coding and pricing process, when new products are added to the system they are automatically priced according to the discounted codes mentioned in the contract. When products are deleted from the system, their codes and price history remain in the pricing system, but VWR’s order entry system prevents the selection of these products. Exceptions will be reviewed at quarterly business reviews.

For the IBA, selling prices will be reviewed and may change on a quarterly basis as part of quarterly business reviews.

2.5 Alternative Products or Substitutions

Prospective Bidder shall measure pricing and delivery using Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) or catalog price (if MSRP is not available) and part numbers whenever possible. Unless otherwise specified, the Prospective Bidder must provide valid MSRP part numbers in its response with the following understandings:

That the manufacturer’s part numbers submitted in the Proposal are currently represented in both the Prospective Bidders published catalog and are held as normal inventory in their local distribution center.

Alternative products will not be shipped on orders without prior approval verbally, electronically or in writing by the Authorized Purchaser, e.g. the end user or department placing the order.

Invoice will note prior, authorized approval for any substituted product. For online orders notice shall be sent to the specific institutions contract manager.

Substitution products should provide the departments with options and pricing; they should not be used to substitute for suppliers own private labeled items.

“Forced substitutions” are defined as: “The act of replacing any item with an alternate item via use of software or other method, resulting in the substitution of said item on a given order without the prior consent of the authorized purchaser”. Forced substitutions are NOT permitted.

Prospective Bidder has in good faith, presented pricing on part numbers with the full intention of supporting those part numbers via their online catalog and stocking inventory. Any intended substitutions will be presented to participating entity for written approval before employed. Forced substitutions as a business practice will not be accepted without prior written justification and approval.

Forced substitutions of alternate products without the IBA Membership Participant’s approval would be considered a breach of contract and shall be considered cause for contract termination.

When a Manufacturer’s Suggested List Price is available, it will be used.

In addition to agreeing to the foregoing, when responding to this section please describe Prospective Bidder’s process for handling alternative and/or forced substitutions, please include how these are handled on your website or other procurement systems.



VWR agrees to the rules detailed above, with the exception that VWR prices according to the VWR Published List Price, not MSLP.

Unless otherwise instructed by the customer, VWR International’s policy in all partnership agreements with a comprehensive consolidation effort, is not to substitute any product without procurement or end-user expressed permission.

VWR.com has an extensive online cross-referencing system. It processes competitor catalog part #s, as well as manufacturer catalog numbers and converts them to VWR catalog numbers.

In addition, VWR has a proprietary cross-reference system that is routinely utilized by our Customer Service Representatives, Sales Reps, and On Site Customer Service Associates, to provide additional information for product alternatives to IBA Members.

These tools provide the end user or purchasing person the ultimate decision as to whether a substitute or alternative item is acceptable to purchase.

2.6 Category Changes Through Acquisition

Brand names which change by virtue of acquisition, either by the contract holder or a third party, will retain the original offered discount unless a formal request is made to and approved by the IBA ninety (90) days prior to the anticipated change in discount structure. The new discount must remain competitive, i.e. moving from a 30% discount to a 10% discount will not be acceptable. The contract holder will provide auditable evidence that a pricing discount needs to be altered.

When new products are added to the system they are automatically priced according to the discounted codes detailed in the contract. When products are deleted from the system, their codes and price history remain in the pricing system, but VWR’s order entry system prevents the selection of these products.

IBA pricing would be reviewed on a quarterly basis as part of routine business reviews.

2.7 Online and Ordering Capabilities

Prospective Bidder shall provide an online order-entry system that permits Consortium members to place secure orders using any Internet-based data communication systems, including but not limited to: Personal Computer, Smart Phone, iPad, or Tablet PC.

Prospective Bidder’s online ordering portal and catalog shall provide help functions, order tracking, related item prompts, and shall automatically open into the pre-established core-list display that will show: item, status, price, description, and photo.

Online ordering capability shall be available to all IBA Membership Participants Authorized Users, and online orders placed by 3:00 PM CST, should qualify for delivery within twenty-four (24) hours or less. For those members who submit their orders electronically, the 3:00 PM deadline is when the order is transmitted from that member’s system. For those orders that are being manually entered, the 3:00 PM deadline is when the supplier receives the order.

Prospective Bidder shall also be responsible for making available a customer service representative/technical support person to handle online orders and mitigate any order-related or technical issues.

Prospective Bidder must have the capability to provide all IBA Membership Participants with a quarterly price file for review and data importing purposes.

When responding to this section please describe or provide:

a) How a timely confirmation (within an hour of submission) shall be transmitted to The Consortium member to ensure receipt and accuracy of the electronic order;



b) Prospective Bidder’s online catalog and ordering capabilities and explain Prospective Bidder’s online ordering website, e.g. does it have the ability to interface with a third-party website such as SciQuest, to provide end-users with one-stop shopping;

c) Prospective Bidder’s ability to provide agency specific online order platforms, i.e. ordering platforms that allow for agency-specific item blocking and markups, etc;

d) Prospective Bidder’s ability to identify products’ recycled content via online system;

e) How Prospective Bidder’s company will make available copies of its printed catalogs and deliver them free of charge to the IBA Membership Participants upon request;

f) Prospective Bidder’s ability to create a custom catalog for IBA Membership Participants;

g) Prospective Bidder’s ability to show price inclusive of markup pricing on their website, with the Prospective Bidders returning that markup to the institution on a monthly or quarterly basis as required by the participating IBA Membership Participants;

h) Prospective Bidder’s process for removing items that are discontinued via the online system;

i) Links to Prospective Bidder’s website with login information that allows evaluators to review all online systems;

j) Screenshots of proposed landing/homepage for Consortium members;

k) An overview of Prospective Bidder’s e-commerce implementation plan, including a timeline. Include and describe resources that will ensure compatibility with IBA Membership Participant’s e-commerce systems;

l) Prospective Bidder’s ability to show the list price and the appropriately discounted contract price within its e-commerce system;

m) Prospective Bidder’s process for providing quarterly price files for approval prior to the date the pricing goes into effect;

n) Proposed technology fee for all IBA members utilizing an online or internal procurement system. This technology fee to enable hosting the vendor on member’s respective systems is a mandatory requirement;

o) Prospective Bidder’s ability to comply with all regulatory requirements and process procurement cards, ghost cards, VISA and Mastercard;

p) Prospective Bidder’s ability to provide level III transaction detail and what information could be provided.

eBusiness at VWR has a long-standing history, the roots of which began in the early 80’s with electronic data interchange (EDI) transactions. As the internet emerged as a viable commerce vehicle for business, VWR established multiple e-commerce web sites, including VWR.com beginning in 1996. Today, VWR.com is used by thousands of customers throughout the world to browse our extensive on-line product catalog, check account activity (such as the status of orders) and to place orders. The site supports local languages, currencies, taxes, etc. not only in the US and Canada, but for countries throughout Eastern & Western Europe, as well as several Asian countries.

In order to provide the best web site experience and to support the various procurement needs of our customers, VWR has invested heavily over the years in technology, tools and enhancements to improve the site’s robust feature set. Best of all, VWR.com can be utilized as a stand-alone purchasing site or as part of a fully-integrated extension of a customer’s e-procurement application, e-marketplace or ERP system.

Rich Feature Set



In addition to access to thousands of products in our on-line catalog, VWR.com also offers a variety of features to help customers find and order products, store preferences and access helpful on-line information such as packing slips, invoices and status of orders. Features include:

Contract Pricing – Customers have access to their agreed-upon contract pricing for products, calculated automatically.

Product Inventory Availability - Whether the product is shipping from a VWR warehouse or from one of our supplier partners, we’ll let you know and provide an estimated shipping date.

Customized Product Catalogs – Can be used to feature best-buy, stockroom products to steer cost savings and value across a company user community.

Personal Shopping Lists – Each VWR.com user can create an unlimited number of personal “hot” lists or order templates for frequently purchased products. If enabled, VWR.com can also track your frequent purchases in a handy re-order form.

Flexible & Accurate Searching – No matter how you search for information or products, the VWR.com search engine is there to support you with matching search results. Enter product descriptions, part numbers, CAS numbers, etc. and let VWR.com do the work!

o Molecular Search Engine – Use our handy search tool to draw and search by chemical structure/substructure.

o Comparison Searching – Compare up to 4 products at once, side-by-side to make educated purchasing decisions.

Integrated Product Cross-Referencing – VWR.com allows you to browse or shop for products using any manufacturer or supplier part number. Simply enter the part number in the Search box or in Order Entry and the web site will automatically cross-reference the part number to a matching VWR part number (if available).

Quotes Processing – Retrieve and process quotes on-line and process them as web orders.

Antibody Configurator – Find the antibodies you need quickly with our handy configurator tool.

Click-to-Chat Support – Get on-line access to a customer service representative, product support specialist or web support technician for instant answers to questions―directly on the page you are viewing.

Customized Welcome Pages – Tailor VWR.com for your user community by creating a welcome “splash” page containing order reminders, contact info and links to documents or site features. For extra customization, add your company logo to the top of all web pages!

Purchase Order Acknowledgements & Ship Notices – VWR can provide automatic order acknowledgements & ship notices via email for any order placed.

Order Status/Tracking/History – Check on the status of any order—no matter how you placed it (web, phone, fax, etc.).

On-Line Invoices and Packing Slips Third-Party Purchasing & Spot Buy Ordering Support – VWR supports a variety of

options that allow you to use VWR.com as your marketplace for all vendors and products.

Robust Product Content – Make educated product choices with our redesigned product pages where, depending on the product, display:

o Organized tabs for ordering information, specifications & accessories o Links to related product literatureo Photos o Icons that offer visual depictions of key product attributeso Links to MSDS & product certificate info



Support for Your Purchasing & Settlement RequirementsVWR.com offers many configurable options to support your procure-to-pay requirements including:

Multi-Level Approval Routing – Allows requisitions to be routed to a supervisor, buyer, procurement officer, etc. so orders can be reviewed and approved prior to submission.

Accounting Data Pass-Through – VWR.com can support the transmission of accounting data (GL codes, cost centers, charge codes, etc.) that pass through to packing slips and invoices.

Required Fields – Ensure reconciliation accuracy by hard-coding data or requiring mandatory field entry at checkout. You can even rename field labels to match accounting nomenclature.

Spending Limit Support – Set spending limits for each user at the order, line or unit level.

Support for a Variety of Purchase Methods:

o Purchase Orderso Credit/Merchant Cards o Procurement Cardso Ghost Cards

Product Blocking – Block products from purchase by vendor, commodity, etc. Company Administrator Capabilities – If desired, you can designate one or more users

as company administrators for control over user configuration and site settings.

Our Web Site Just Got Even Better!A new and improved version of VWR.com has launched in the US & Canada! As our customers continue to invest in and migrate to web-based ordering, it is imperative that VWR continue to provide new tools, technology and enhancements to expand our on-line capabilities. For that reason, we have invested in new web site platform technology that brings many enhancements and new features―as well as a new, streamlined look and feel. The new design is cleaner, more intuitive and will scale for the future growth of e-commerce. VWR will continue to roll out this new web experience to other geographies around the world to create a truly global VWR web experience for our customers.

Some of the new or improved features include: Expanded Custom Catalogs – Now, multiple, color-coded mini-catalogs can be

featured on VWR.com, tailored to your needs. These catalogs are a great way to feature preferred products, best buy items or products contained in a storeroom since the items are uniquely highlighted throughout the site and can be weighted higher in search results.

New Search Capabilities – Searching for products on VWR.com just got better with more ways to refine and new “auto-suggest” technology, As you enter a search term, the search engine automatically offers suggested search terms that you can select.

Order Reminders – Set up automatic reminders that prompt you regarding frequently-placed orders

On-the-Fly Shopping – Gone are the days when the shopping basket is displayed each time a product is added to the basket. On the new VWR.com, add products on-the-fly to the basket from throughout the site—a great way to speed your shopping sessions! A handy “basket widget” is always available to provide a quick update of your basket.



Organization Shopping Lists – Company administrators can now create shopping lists that can be shared with the entire user community.

Online Help & Tutorial Support – We’ve added more on-line help sections and video tutorials to help with web support—just in case you need it!

Backorder Alternatives – The new VWR.com allows alternative, in-stock products to be offered when a product you have selected is not currently in stock.

Expanded French Language Translations – Our Canadian web site now has more content translated to French than ever before. Choose to view the site in French or English—the choice is yours!

VWR will continue to invest in web technologies to meet your ongoing procurement needs and, ultimately, to improve the overall customer experience on the web.

B2B Integration Services at VWR – Best in Class!Many of our customers have invested in e-procurement applications or marketplaces—VWR International’s Integration Services provides best-practice support for customers wanting to interface an ERP/MRP or web procurement application with VWR’s website via punchout integration. The team works with customers to develop a scope of work, standard operating procedures and, if necessary, conduct a complete order-to-cash review. VWR International can support global implementations and has standard operating and implementation procedures in place for many solutions including Ariba, SAP, Perfect Commerce, SciQuest, Oracle, PeopleSoft and many others.

To support B2B punch-out integrations, VWR also accepts a variety of electronic transactions (e.g. purchase orders, order acknowledgements, advance ship notices, invoices) via several different standards, including:

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) cXML xCBL

These scalable standards are recommended for use with most B2B integrations because they are easy to implement and support and help to “close the loop” of the order-to-cash process.

2.8 Information Access

The IBA seeks an integrated systems approach with the functionality noted below, including secure purchase history for individual members and reporting capability for overall consortium business.

Proposed Bidder shall provide:

real-time access to list price, net price, discount percentage, availability, and order-entry via the Internet or similar tie-in.

Online access to Material Data Safety Sheets for all applicable products supplied.

All expenses resulting from the use of the data communications network shall be paid by vendor.

VWR International has invested millions of dollars and effort into developing the best eBusiness solutions in our industry. Today, VWR International is the industry leader in the development of scalable, open standards-based electronic commerce to support our customers and their requirements. We are committed to supporting each customer's business processes and electronic commerce to increase efficiency, reduce costs, improve the overall buy/sell process, and increase service levels to customers and end-users.



VWR offers several e-procurement solutions, including:Business-to-Business Integration Services – Our B2B services team has worked with many customers to implement solutions that support a variety of e-marketplaces and e-procurement applications.

VWR has implemented many types of B2B solutions for university customers including Ariba, Perfect Commerce, SAP and SciQuest SelectSite. The two most prevalent solutions (to date) for university customers have been Ariba and SciQuest SelectSite. VWR supports punchout (website integration) and electronic ordering and acknowledgements for these and many other solutions:

SciQuest SelectSite – VWR supports full integration with SelectSite, including electronic ordering and acknowledgements. Today, we are supporting many customers on this B2B platform.

Ariba – VWR International has attained Ariba-Ready certification and supports cXML punch out and CIF files as well as electronic purchase orders and acknowledgements. Ariba is one of the most popular B2B solutions in place today for our customers.

Oracle iProcurement – Standard implementation procedures are in place today to support iProcurement/Oracle Exchange integrations, including website punchout.



EScout/Perfect Commerce– Static “CUP” files and OCI Roundtrip are supported today, as well as electronic ordering.

SAP EBP – VWR International is Open Content Network-certified and has developed standard implementation procedures for website punchout and electronic ordering & acknowledgements.

Web Site SupportVWR offers cost-free technical support for our eBusiness solutions, which includes both training services and help desk support. VWR maintains an eBusiness sales and consulting team responsible for providing rollout and ongoing training for web technology implementations, such as a VWR.com implementation or B2B integration. A variety of hands-on and classroom-style training and training tools (user guides, quick-reference material) can be provided at no cost to ensure rapid user adoption. Ongoing help desk support is available between 7:00am and 8:00pm EST in the US and between 9:00am and 5:00pm in the UK. VWR.com also offers click-to-chat support for questions about web ordering, products or order support.

2.9 Usage Reports

Annual usage reports must be provided to IBA Executive Director.

At a minimum, reports shall include: 1. catalog number for each item purchased; 2. aggregate totals of items purchased; 3. unit list price; 4. unit discount; 5. actual price paid; and 6. grand total of all purchases for the reporting period.

Other customized reports requested by the Consortium members shall be provided in a timely manner, as needed. These may include, but are not limited to:

Federal Small Business products purchased through your company; Green (environmentally friendly) products purchased from your company; Targeted product distribution reports, such as chemical or controlled substance delivery; and Any reports required for State or Federal government compliance or audits.

IBA Membership Participants may require periodic usage and quality reports. These reports should include, but not be limited to, the following metrics: fill rates, delivery results, IBA and participating entities contract number, usage by division and location, and pricing discrepancies. The Prospective Bidder should furnish the reports on a quarterly basis in a format mutually agreed upon by the IBA and the Prospective Bidder. These reports should be submitted within fourteen (14) days, following the month or quarter for which the report is due.


a) Indicate at what level of sophistication and complexity Prospective Bidder can provide the IBA and participating entities with usage reports on a periodic basis;

b) Include a sample of Prospective Bidder’s current reporting capabilities and explain all electronic reporting capabilities.

VWR has a robust reporting application that will provide the IBA and Members with annual usage information as well as the ability to develop individualized member reports as



necessary. Spend Metrics in both summary and detailed views are available, as well as reports in the categories of Diversity, Order /Delivery, Chemical, and Third Party Metrics, etc. We have detailed below our KPI (Key Performance Indicator) package:

VWR’s KPI (Key Performance Indicator) package enables you to quickly determine the value obtained when utilizing VWR as your primary laboratory supplier. This 5-page workbook provides valuable information in these areas:

Spend vs. Prior Year:How much did you spend this year vs. last year?

Commodity Mix:What did you spend it on? Shows spend broken out by Commodity.

Service Level:How often does VWR fill individual lines completely on the first pass?

Order Entry Means:How did you place orders with VWR, (breaking out eBusiness)

Private Label Summary:Shows VWR Private Label spend broken out by Commodity.

The KPI package can be reported at any of the following levels:

→ Corporation→ Division→ Location→ Customer Specific Business Area (example: eBusiness implementation)→ Specific account number(s)

The KPI package can be produced at any of the following intervals:

→ Monthly→ Quarterly→ Annually

See Attachment 2, KPI example for your review

2.10 Catalog Cross Reference

Some participating entities may desire a system where orders can be placed using a participating entity’s store catalog numbers, with this number also appearing on all associated order documents (e.g. packing slip, invoice, etc.)

Please include the following in your response:

a) Any program that will cross-reference manufacturer's and competitor's catalog numbers to vendor catalog numbers; and

b) A listing of entities’ catalog numbers that can be cross-referenced in your system.

VWR has a proprietary cross-reference system that is routinely utilized by our Customer Service Representatives, Sales Reps, and On Site Customer Service Associates, to provide



additional information for product alternatives to IBA Members. VWR.com, our global website, is our fastest growing sales channel and is used by thousands of customers to place orders quickly and securely. These tools and systems are updated daily with new part numbers and suppliers.

VWR.com provides at-your-fingertips product information and ordering as well as support for your specific business requirements. Some of the site features include:

Contract pricing and product inventory status for over 1.5 million items (refreshed daily) including lab consumables, chemicals, oligos and equipment. Real-time product availability provides instant access to product inventory levels at multiple warehouses. Whether the product is in stock, on backorder or shipping from an alternate warehouse, users have the information they need to make educated purchasing decisions.

IBA-specific custom catalogs can be used to feature best-buy or stockroom products to steer cost savings and value.

Users can create unlimited “hot lists” or order templates for frequently purchased products, streamlining the ordering process.

“Any” part number entry allows for cost-efficient cross-referencing of manufacturer or competitor part numbers for increased savings.

Purchase order acknowledgments and advance ship notices sent back via email for customer assurance and record keeping.

Nearly unlimited parametric, chemical and structure search capabilities assist users in finding the right products.

Order Status and History features allow users to re-use previous orders and check on the status of orders that have been placed.

Supports access to technical information such as MSDS, chemical substructure info, certificates of analysis, etc.

2.11 Audit Penalties

As noted in Provision 1.70, The Consortium expects pricing will be correct at inception of this contract, penalties will be charged on pricing errors which occur after the initial three-month period that require more than one (1) hour of personnel time to correct. As a result of such errors the vendor shall allocate, at a minimum, an additional discount of three (3) percent of the total invoice of the order or billing statement in which the error occurred. No exceptions to this term will be accepted; however, alternative proposals for effective remedies will be considered.

The IBA reserves the right to request an audit be completed at the Prospective Bidder’s expense if discrepancies are found. This audit should be completed within 30 days of request. As noted above, the initial review period is three months, if deemed necessary the review period can be extended for a longer period. It is expected that following the review a report will be presented to the IBA.

Should an audit of the Prospective Bidder’s prices uncover overcharges, the Consortium members have the right to request any overpaid amounts be refunded as a credit memo or check. The Prospective Bidder agrees to correct these errors within 30-60 days. Undercharges will not be rebilled to the participating entity as a result of such an audit.

The awarded vendor will be expected to provide quarterly reviews that verify accuracy of contract pricing; this information will be shared with IBA participants.



Failure to resolve pricing or billing errors in a timely manner could result in contract dissolution.

The expectation is that day-to-day purchase order issues are resolved within five business days.


a) Define process for periodic review of contract pricing; include selection criteria, provide examples of report and processes to rectify errors;

b) Explain any instances in which you have been involved in a formal investigation of deceptive pricing and/or over-charging; include details and the outcome of each investigation.

c) Describe your process for reviewing and correcting individual purchase order pricing issues.

VWR’s pricing system successfully maintains over 18,000 pricing agreements in its’ pricing “engine” to span our broad account base.

In the initial stages of a contract proposal process, our pricing teams set up a model in our pricing system based on the contract terms being negotiated. Once the negotiations are finalized and approved, this model pricing is activated. The Pricing Analyst generates a price list and/or an “English” version (easy to read with verbiage describing product groups, etc.) of the pricing agreement in the system, which is incorporated into the written contract. This “English” version is reviewed and approved by the Pricing Manager and contract Business Owner.

Once all pricing has been loaded and finalized, any price changes to customer hierarchies can only be requested by the authorized Business Owner via written documentation (usually an email). The business owner is either the Major Account Director, or the Regional Sales Manager if it is a local contract. The responsible pricing team will not change any price for a contracted customer without documented approval from the contract business owner.

The pricing team manually logs approved change requests in an Access database that tracks price changes, including the reason(s) for the change, approvals, and who processed the entry. The database is backed up nightly, and on the first of every month, the file containing the prior month’s changes is sent to the Pricing Business Analyst. A review is performed of randomly selected price changes to verify that the change was authorized and the reason for the change is valid. This peer validation is subsequently audited on a quarterly basis by our internal auditors.

Account ReconciliationsWithin the pricing system, each hierarchy can have numerous account numbers tied to it. All accounts tied to the same contract receive identical pricing, as prices are calculated at the contract level. This enables multiple sites to receive identical pricing regardless of geographical location, department, or sales territory.

To ensure that all individual customer accounts belonging to the same ultimate parent company are accurately loaded in our systems, the Pricing department verifies and documents the accuracy of the parent/child linkage in our systems on a quarterly basis. This process is audited quarterly by our internal auditors.

Price Overrides In certain business situations, contract pricing can be overridden in the ordering process. All manual overrides are reviewed by the Pricing teams on a monthly basis to determine the reasons for the overrides and to ensure only authorized overrides have been made. The results of their analyses are captured in an Access database and sent to the Contract



Administration team for consolidation and monitoring. This process is also audited quarterly by our internal audit team.

All audits mentioned above are documented and considered key controls in our successful securing of and on-going monitors for SOX attestation.

In addition to the procedural tasks associated with accurate pricing above, our Information Technology team monitors system response time/server behavior and any downtime for issues that may impact pricing. Any irregularities are reported immediately to the business for action.

Vendor agrees to investigate and correct, if applicable, any billing or pricing errors in a commercially reasonable timeframe following the notification of potential error to Vendor by IBA or IBA Member.

Formal pricing audits requested by the IBA or IBA member will be performed in accordance with Section 1, subsection 1.56 of the Bid Attributes, which reads as follows: “The Prospective Bidder shall maintain books, records and documents which sufficiently and properly document and calculate all charges billed to the IBA throughout the term of the Contract for a period of at least three (3) years following the date of final payment or completion of any required audit, whichever is later. Records to be maintained include both financial records and service records. The Prospective Bidder shall permit the Auditor of the State of Iowa or any authorized representative of the State and where federal funds are involved, the Comptroller General of the United States or any other authorized representative of the United States government, to access and examine, audit, excerpt and transcribe any directly pertinent books, documents, papers, electronic or optically stored and created records or other records of the Prospective Bidder relating directly to orders, invoices or payments or any other documentation or materials pertaining to the Contract, wherever such records may be located. Prospective Bidder shall be entitled to require a third party auditor to execute a separate non-disclosure and confidentiality agreement prior to receiving Prospective Bidder’s records. If an audit discloses incorrect billings or improprieties, the IBA reserves the right to charge the Prospective Bidder appropriate reimbursement. Evidence of criminal conduct will be turned over to the proper authorities. Audits shall be limited to one (1) per year, unless mandated by law.”

2.12 Monthly Billing

Prospective Bidder may be required to provide monthly billing program for all orders entered using each Consortium member’s contract order numbers showing release numbers, item (catalog number), description, unit-cost, extended cost, and release total. Monthly billing statements are to be constructed according to the individual Consortium members requirements. Note: Some Consortium members may make payment at the time the order is shipped by procurement/ghost card; this will negate the need to provide monthly billings for those items.

VWR offers customers the ability to consolidate their bills to facilitate the payment process by sending a group of billings on one document. This adds both speed and efficiency, as well as eliminates cumbersome paperwork. This results in processing cost savings to customers. VWR offers a variety of standard formats, frequencies (monthly, semi monthly, bi weekly, or weekly), methods of delivery (email, ftp, http post or hardcopy in mail) and sorts. Additionally, cut-off dates are flexible. You can choose what date to cut off your bill so that you can avoid having your bills in at one time.

Custom data files can be provided, but these must go through a pre-qualification stage to verify that VWR can meet the customer requirements and will take longer to develop.

VWR can incorporate customer-supplied data with the above types of billings (GL account numbers, department numbers, etc.) when supplied by the customer at order entry time.



2.13 Customer Service Requirements

Good customer service is an implied and essential requirement of this contractual agreement. The Consortium requests that at a minimum, one customer service team member and one or more sales team members be dedicated to The Consortium’s account. All team members should be familiar with all aspects of this proposal (and any resulting agreement) and be empowered to make changes as needed to comply with the contract. A fully informed, equally well trained back-up will be required when a designated customer service or sales representative is not available. The Prospective Bidder will be responsible for ensuring the customer service representative's workload will allow for convenient and effective interaction with each Consortium member’s staff. Prospective Bidder shall provide each of the IBA Membership Participants with customer service representatives assigned to handle questions and resolve problems that arise. Sales personnel are expected to visit each Consortium member on a weekly basis, or as needed.

At least one customer service representative shall be available 8 AM to 5 PM CDST, Monday through Friday for the participating IBA Membership Participants. All service representatives shall have online access to information to provide immediate responses to inquiries concerning the status of orders (shipped or pending), delivery information, back-order information, contract pricing, contracted product offerings/exclusions, billing questions or issues, contract compliance requirements, and general product information. Representatives shall be available by phone (via local or toll free number), fax, or email. Both IBA Membership Participants and Prospective Bidder will commit to quarterly reviews of internal customer satisfaction and will make consistent efforts to improve customer service and satisfaction.

The IBA expects a response from Prospective Bidder within four (4) hours of notification of any issues, regardless of nature (e.g. pricing, item discrepancy, customer service, etc). Prospective Bidder’s response shall include the intended resolution and contact person who is addressing the problem. All issues are expected to be resolved within twenty-four (24) hours of notification.

When responding to this section please describe:

a) How the above-noted exceptional customer service will be achieved;

b) The processes and approaches for providing solutions to issues that include: on-line ordering, invoicing, and problem solving;

c) How Prospective Bidder’s program will meet the customer service needs of the IBA and its numerous participating ordering entities;

d) Prospective Bidder’s experience in marketing products to large institutions;

e) Prospective Bidder’s experience in organizing product shows and marketing campaigns;

f) Prospective Bidder’s strategies for promoting business at the various institutions, existing and prospective member companies and membership-related events;

g) How Prospective Bidder will handle issue resolution in the timely manner described above.

Some Consortium members require frequent, on-site customer service. Please address this requirement and include at least three (3) references from clients currently utilizing on-site customer service representatives. Include the following contact information: Entity, Reference Name, Title, Address, Phone, and Email.

Some consortium members may prefer to have a full-time on-site customer representative who can handle the needs of their campus/business, is this available? If so, is there an additional cost for these services?

VWR’s goal has been to align sales and support resources for the Iowa Biotech Association to increase customer value from VWR. We believe that resources focused this way have



and will provide much greater impact to you and at the same time allow us to grow as a valuable supply link between the IBA and our manufacturing community.

→ Sales Representatives

A VWR Sales Representative will be assigned to each IBA member. They have the authority to respond quickly to customer needs. VWR’s sales representatives in Iowa have a successful track record of managing key accounts and will be totally committed to our partnership with the IBA. The VWR Sales Representatives’ responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Provide technical information on our complete offering of products and services to laboratory end users and purchasing professionals.

Apprise IBA members of the latest scientific supplies and equipment. Present recommendations for cost savings on price quotes of scientific supplies and

equipment. Coordinate product training and trade exhibitions to members. Recommend products for cost and/or time savings. Interact with all levels of the procurement process.

→ Dedicated Customer Service

VWR has dedicated customer service representation, Amy Terry is a long term successful Sales Support Specialist and has serviced the IBA Members for over five years. Amy is very knowledgeable when it comes to customer sensitivity and shows tenacity when assisting customers. We are certain that anyone from the IBA member list that has worked with Amy will report that their experience was outstanding. In fact, several comments have been said regarding the Amy:

IDT - #1 Acct - $475K (Jan - May) – Purchasing Department (All orders and issues are filtered through this group)"The service is great and it's because Amy Terry is fantastic. She is extremely prompt and polite when we have a major issue such as missing products, backorders or tracking down random parts".

Univ of Iowa - #2 Acct - 435K (Jan - May) – Purchasing DepartmentComment 1 (during meeting): "Overall, VWR is great especially our B2B implementation. As far as service goes VWR is one of the best. When we have credit or rebills, Amy is very responsive and gets these major issues done better than expectations. We even had an issue where we needed a price file for a stockroom that is normally handled by your B2B team and Amy volunteered to do it as well. Nothing says service like having two different depts working hard to get your issue handled. We love working with her".Comment 2 (sent directly to Amy): “I was in a meeting today and it was discussed how greatly appreciated VWR's efforts are to resolve situations. I did let them know that if you ever left me I would be in trouble...just wanted to let you know you are appreciated :)”

P&G - #5 Acct - $61K (Jan - May) – Primary Lab Manager, Mark Capron“I simply go to Amy anytime I have an issue because I know she'll take care of me and get it done very quickly. She always makes me feel like I'm a priority."

She is a wonderful asset to have for the IBA and when it comes to getting the right information or taking care of high-priority issues and orders, she’s very quick to take care of you, our customer.



→ Customer CareVWR’s Customer Service Representatives (CSRs) are dedicated VWR associates who support our customers with problem resolution. They handle all aspects of customer service. Whether it is handling phone calls, responding to emails, or product information, VWR CSRs are available to assist you in a professional, knowledgeable manner. Our Customer Service Representatives are available Monday through Friday and have extended operating hours from 7:30 am ET – 8:00 pm ET.

VWR has 3 U.S. Fulfillment Centers, with over 300 agents. The Customer Service Representatives team responsible for IBA will be specifically trained to be familiar with your contract terms and conditions and will have detailed customer profile information available on their computer screens when a call is received. This approach ensures that your calls will be answered by a rep that is familiar with your contract, your facilities’ requirements and staff. This allows VWR to provide the highest level of service with each call. Customer Service can be reached by phone at 1-800-932-5000, by email at [email protected] or by using Click-to-Chat on VWR.com.

VWR’s Customer Service Representatives utilize leading edge Customer Relationship Management Software and phone technology to service our customer base. The technology provides the Customer Service Representative access to your detailed account requirements, past interaction history, and allows VWR to route your call, email, or fax directly to your team. Our three US Call Centers have an established Quality Monitoring program in place to ensure the quality of service being provided to you is the highest available.

Returns, Credits, Damages/Defective Products and Customer Service related complaints are handled within the Customer Service Centers. If the agent that receives the complaint via, phone, fax or email is able to provide a resolution at the time of receipt, they will do so. If additional investigation or information is required, they will provide the Customer with a complaint case number and continue working the issue. The complaint case is tracked from the time of entry until completion. Customer Service Agents update the Customer as the case progresses. Attachment 3 shows an overview of VWR Customer Service.

→ Technical Field Specialists

Our Technical Field Specialists will support IBA Members and our VWR Sales Representatives by offering an enhanced level of technical support and guidance related to application support and product selection. VWR offers technical sales professionals in these areas:

Chromatography Furniture and Lab Design Life Sciences Safety

→ Technical Hotlines

VWR International provides a Technical Resource Center to handle all of your technical questions regarding VWR products and applications. This toll-free hotline provides real-time response and proven industry solutions. The resource center is supported by a staff of trained professionals ready to help you make product and application decisions.


mailto:[email protected]


VWR Technical Hotline: 1-888-VWR-LINE (1-888-897-5463)

Once Connected Push 1 for Chemical Help

Push 2 for Chromatography Help

Push 3 for Life Science Help

Push 4 for Safety Help

→ E-Business Support

The VWR E-Business help desk (1-888-320-HELP or [email protected]) should be the primary contact for IBA when you encounter web issues or have questions about VWR.com. The help desk is available Monday through Friday from 6:00 am to 7:00 pm CT. If needed, an E-Business Support Specialist is available to assist IBA Members.

→ Dedicate Account Director

The Account Director is ultimately responsible for the performance of the account. When customer service levels are not achieved and/or negative trends are identified, the Major Account Director will conduct a root cause analysis, identify the problem and implement the corrective action.

→ Publications & Tradeshows

VWR has many years of experience dealing with higher education selling. We have experienced sales representatives solely dedicated to the educational marketplace. We also offer many marketing programs and tools. The educational Gazette, the quarterly newsletter sent to end users highlighting the products that are dedicated to the educational market, is just one example.

Because of these experiences, VWR enjoys supplier relationships with a majority of educational institutions. We are proud to be a supplier to MIT, Harvard, Texas A&M, Penn State, Duke University, University of Pittsburgh and the E&I consortium – just to name a few.

VWR frequently hosts tradeshows of varying sizes featuring existing and new products from leading product manufacturers. VWR in cooperation with out supplier partners brings the leading edge of technology right to our customer’s doorstep.

Additional Resources can be added upon review with the IBA to ensure excellent customer service.

All of the following references have an on-site VWR employee :

Pioneer HybridDiane Simons, Purchasing AgentPhone [email protected]

HarvardSandi Newton




Contract [email protected](617) 495-5491

Penn StateMike Conroy Sr. [email protected]

2.14 Training

Prospective Bidder shall provide training as necessary, at no additional cost to the IBA and participating entities, on all aspects of ordering, delivery, return, and customer service processes.

When responding to this section please describe Prospective Bidder’s ability to offer training, include online opportunities and onsite options.

VWR promote product shows, product training, educational seminars, promotions, and blitzes to encourage education, awareness and innovation. Below are some of the programs or campaigns that help raise VWR’s awareness in our key customers.

1) New Lab Start-up Program

This program includes on-site consultation with VWR and manufacturer technical representatives, product demonstrations and trials, lab planning, service installation and technical support prior to purchase.

VWR offers many promotions associated with new lab start ups will offer a value added discount to all new researchers. This New Lab Start-up Program would provide additional savings and help to optimize the research funding for the faculty including:

2) VWR Specialist Support

VWR currently employs Specialists in the areas of Life Sciences, Production and Furniture that are available to all members of the IBA’s teaching and research communities. The role of the VWR Specialist is to provide product information and technical support to keep the scientific community abreast of the newest technologies available. They can also recommend product and cost effective System Solutions for their teaching and research needs.

3) Technical Support Program– Toll Free Hotlines

VWR maintains an up-to-date list of over 2,000 vendors and their technical support personnel. First contacting VWR International’s Territory Managers will assure you of getting to the proper technical representative for the product or application in question. Many of our key vendors also have technical help desks with which VWR can put an end-user in contact.

VWR International has the following Technical Support Hotlines for Application and Product Questions. Experienced and qualified individuals, who often hold a Masters or Doctorate degree, man these technical hotlines.

Hotline Phone NumberVWR Help Line 1.888.320.4357VWR Safety 1.888.VWR.LINE (888.897.5463)Chromatography 1.800.457.PEAKFiltration 1.800.556.8206



Centrifugation & Electrochemistry 1.800.VWR.BECKThermometers & Hydrometers 1.800.HELP.VWRBalances 1.800.VWR.N.MET

4) VWR Sponsored Tradeshows

VWR frequently hosts tradeshows of varying sizes featuring existing and new products from leading product manufacturers. VWR in cooperation with out supplier partners brings the leading edge of technology right to our customer’s doorstep.

5) VWR Seminar Program

VWR, in conjunction with many of our suppliers, can provide the IBA Members with useful technical seminars on a wide range of topics, given by experts in their field. In these seminars, our suppliers introduce new products, technology and techniques to seminar attendees customized for your

special needs. Attachment 4 shows a listing of available seminars through VWR.

2.15 Key Employees

Prospective Bidder must provide detailed contact information (name, title, telephone, email, territory & office location) for the following individuals who will be managing and handling this contract:

1. Contract Manager2. Sales Representatives and Sales Manager3. Data Specialist(s)4. Customer Service Representatives5. Technical Representatives

When responding to this section please also:

a) Identify Key Persons (as noted above) who would work with the Consortium, including names, years of industry experience, any notable expertise and years of employment with Proposed Bidder’s organization:

b) Describe in detail Prospective Bidder’s intended strategy for contract management, including the roles and responsibilities of the proposed account team that will handle contract management issues such as Core List refreshes, discontinued items, pricing discrepancies, etc.

VWR International continually refines our approach to “Total Account Management” to focus our resources on creating and maintaining winning relationships with our key customers. We have for several years successfully managed global and national customer agreements. Our critical success factors include: Structure, Business Planning, Execution, Communication and Measurement.



VWR structure will include a Contract Manager as the single point of contact both internally and externally regarding our relationship with IBA. The VWR Contract Manager is responsible for coordinating all activities at IBA sites across the state to ensure that VWR delivers product and service solutions that benefit the IBA Members. He will lead our efforts to create a winning relationship and he will not act alone. VWR will employ multiple Sales Leaders, a Services Leader and a Project Leader to support the IBA. These individuals will focus on their respective operational disciplines to create consistent solutions that focus on your requirements and deliver value to you.

The VWR team will engage in a strategic planning meeting each year with IBA’s team and key stakeholders. The sales and services teams will then write business plans in alignment with IBA’s goals and objectives for that upcoming year. We will use tools throughout the year to track and measure our progress against the plans. These tools include:

Global Account Development Program – documents the business plan including objectives, strategies and action plans.

Master Account Planning Matrix – holds IBA and VWR project owners accountable to deadlines and established dollar targets.

Risk Assessments – built with IBA to mitigate risk in relation to areas of productivity, delivery, service and distribution.

Work Breakdown Structure – tool that shows the IBA and VWR teams a strong visual to the projects, initiatives and service offerings of all locations.

The team then executes product sales and project initiatives in a boundless manner. Each member of the IBA/VWR team has great latitude to execute projects beneficial to all members. No matter what the initiative, there is a lead assigned and held accountable. Our operating cycle of “PLAN-DO-REVIEW” keeps us in a constant state of refinement and enables us to adapt quickly to exceed IBA’s requirements.

Constant communication, both internally with the VWR team and externally with the IBA team, and a disciplined process to measure results will enable our team to continually adapt and exceed your requirements. The VWR Sales and Service teams will hold routine status conference calls to ensure that the plan is being delivered and we adapt to any changing requirements. In addition, we will conduct quarterly business reviews with IBA’s team along with key stakeholders that focus on your Critical to Quality (CTQ) objectives. We will work with you to create a dashboard that measures these CTQ’s that will ensure our communications are clear and productive. Finally, with IBA’s support and permission we will create a Mutual Performance Scorecard that measures our performance as a supplier as well as IBA’s performance as a customer.

We believe that our disciplined approach to “Total Account Management” will help us to deliver a competitive advantage to IBA and form the foundation for a strategic business relationship.

VWR Team Title Phone Territory Office Location

Kerry Geesaman

Region Manager Education & Medical Research

[email protected] 317-340-8838 Midwest Indianapolis,

IN

Shelley White Director of Sales, Life Sciences [email protected] 641-777-8822

NationalBlakesburg, IA

Mike Klipstein SVP Education & Medical Research [email protected] 678-288-3099 National

Atlanta, GA

Peter Trow Vice President Education & Medical Research [email protected] 508-971-6139 National Boston, MA

Kareem Dossa SVP Biotechnology [email protected] 415-570-0740 National San

Francisco, CA

Kevin Wynant Business Development [email protected] 610-738-7448 National Radnor, PA





Biotechnology

Joe Pellegrino BioTech Region Manager [email protected] 410-570-0738 N.West &Mid-West

Bay Aerea

Lara Hildebrand Life Science Specialist [email protected] 515-333-3087 Iowa &

NebraskaDes Moines,

IA

Kristy Uber Sales Representative [email protected] 515-710-2590 Iowa Ankeny, IA

Josh Johnson Sales Representative [email protected] 317-541-0028 Iowa Iowa City, IA

TBD – IBA Dedicated Sales Representative Iowa

Amy Terry IBA – Customer Service [email protected] 877-897-6377 ext 121670 Iowa Batavia, IL

Charles Krueger Production Specialist [email protected] 651-982-0250 Midwest Minneapolis,

MN

Charles Bacher Furniture Specialist [email protected] 314-402-8533 Midwest St. Louis, MO

Nicole Olson Chromatography Specialist [email protected] 847-722-3840 Midwest Wichita, KS

Jim Janson Pricing Manager Jim_Janson@VWR,com 630-425-1037 Midwest Batavia, IL

Courtney Simon Pricing Coordinator [email protected] 630-425-1086 Midwest Batavia, IL

2.16 References

Vendors should provide references from three (3) organizations that currently have or recently had contracts of volumes similar to the $20 million per year referenced in this RFP. At a minimum, references must be provided from accounts over $10 million per year. References from state governments, purchasing consortiums or large public universities are preferred. The IBA reserves the right to obtain additional information or trade references it believes necessary to fully evaluate vendor’s abilities to perform on a contract.

Please provide contact information including organizations name, contact person, phone and email information.

VWR has a strong history servicing large organizations.

Primary or Co-primary supplier at 90% of the top NIH funded schools

Over 130 On Site Service Parnerships Nationwideo Best in Class Managed Scientific Stockroomso Core Life Science Supply Centers

National Partner with E&I Cooperative Primary Contract Supplier to Howard Huges Medical Institiute Primary Awards Since 2011 at:

o Univ. of Alabama, Dartmouth, HHMI, Aubur, Duke, Notre Dame, USC

References:












Harvard UniversityAddress: 1350 Massachusetts Ave. Room 542Cambridge, MA 02138

Since 1990

Sandi NewtonContract [email protected](617) 495-5491

Primary Supplier Agreement B2B Integration Contract Management Compliance Storeroom Management Chemical Management Harvard Sustainability Initiative

E&I Cooperative

Address: 2 Jericho Plaza Suite 309Jericho, NY 11753

Since 2001Tom [email protected](800) 283-2634

National Consortium Agreement 300+ Participating Members Standardized Pricing Cooperative Programs 2009 Supply Partner of the Year

Notre Dame UniversityAddress: 711 Grace HallNotre Dame, IN 46556

Since 2009

Mike RulliProcurement [email protected]



http://www.nd.edu/


(574) 631-5095

Primary Supplier Agreement: E&I Platform B2B Integration Storeroom Conversion from Previous Supplier Environmental Health and Safety Coordination Chemical Management Life Science Focus

2.17 Third-Party Purchasing

In an effort to streamline scientific supply orders, the Consortium aspires to work with our primary supplier to develop an effective third-party ordering system.

The contract holder shall be willing to take orders from the Consortium for participating vendors and relay the orders for the Consortium. All orders will ship directly to the requesting Consortium members. Each Consortium member will be billed for the orders on the monthly billing statements (if requested). All costs associated with the order will be passed on through the monthly billing statement to comply with agreed upon terms.

The Consortium expects third-party transactions to be conducted at no cost. If a third-party product is purchased from a company included in vendor’s catalog, the discount offered to the Consortium on the cataloged items must be extended to the third-party purchase. Freight will be FOB Destination for all third-party items.

It is the Consortium’s goal to have 25 percent of small scientific supply orders handled through third-party purchasing by the end of 2015. The primary supplier shall work with the Executive Director of the Iowa Biotechnology Association to implement a system to accomplish this.

IBA’s expectations related to third-party purchases:

1. The IBA does not expect to be charged in any way for third-party transactions.2. If Prospective Bidder has a relationship with a company (e.g. includes that company’s products

within their catalog), every effort shall be made to secure the category discount and free shipping for products. If the category discount cannot be obtained for the third-party items, the discount will be negotiated with the IBA member and shipping will be at no cost. A default discount will not be accepted.

3. If the IBA member has a pre-existing discount arrangement with the third-party vendor, the vendor will pass those discounts through to the IBA member, as well as pre-existing shipping terms, as part of the third-party transaction.

4. If neither the IBA nor the vendor has a relationship with the third-party (e.g. the IBA member does not have an existing discount program or the vendor does not carry the company’s products in its catalog), then at a minimum, the transaction will be at the company’s selling price, plus freight.

5. If the vendor provides access to third-party products on their website, these products will be clearly indicated as third-party, non-catalogged items, and as such - not subject to the normal contract discounts (except as indicated in point #1).

6. Vendors may offer alternate (but substantially compliant to points one (1) through five (5) above) third-party procurement options.

When responding to this section, please:

a) Clearly state your proposal for a third-party purchasing arrangement and include it in your Proposal. Identify entities that are willing to participate in a third-party ordering environment on a separate Attachment to Proposal.

b) Describe your partnership with third-party firms, including the percentage of their items that are included within Prospective Bidder’s catalog.

VWR Procurement Solutions



VWR’s Procurement Solutions program is a service that enables our customers to benefit from a single consolidated process for as many of their supply needs as desired. VWR currently processes in excess of 300,000 third party transactions (from >4,000 different suppliers) annually on behalf of our customers. The orders are managed by a dedicated VWR team and processed via any inbound ordering channels from our customers.

These orders include many one-time transactions, as well as “repeat-buys” from specific suppliers. For each order placed, acknowledgements can be returned to the purchaser. In addition, the VWR team communicates directly with purchasers regarding any issues specific to orders or backorder status.

This service delivers process and operational savings in addition to enabling a focus on opportunities for cross-reference services that delivers significant additional product cost savings to our customers.

In addition to the VWR Sales and Customer Support teams that directly support each customer, a team of VWR Procurement associates is dedicated specifically to support both Market Source and 3P products in all aspects of the ordering process including order placement, backorder resolution, expediting, invoice review and all other related areas.

VWR’s Procurement Solutions Program has been built so that it can be fully integrated with each Customer’s procurement platform.

Specific Benefits to our Customers from using VWR’s Procurement Solutions Services

Improved access to a wider range of products from key Enhanced Marketplace suppliers through VWR.com or non-web enabled processes.

Ready access to contract pricing and product information enabling clearer understanding to the status and information for products ordered.

One contact point, VWR Customer Service, for the majority of product needs, with a substantial amount of information readily available via the web.

Ongoing enhancements toVWR.com provides increased levels of functionality and access to information.

Ability to operate and integrate with SAP, Ariba, Commerce One, Oracle, and other customer systems makes the system more valuable to the customer’s IT organization.

Providing consolidated invoicing for a larger number of transactions enables the finance departments to more efficiently pay for products ordered and apply the dollars to the appropriate budget categories.

VWR’s dedicated procurement team is often able to process orders to the suppliers more rapidly than they could be placed in the customer’s system, which assists to enable more rapid receipt of products.

Resolution of problems, such as backorders or returns – a one-stop shop experience.

Enables the customer to more effectively manage procurement activities and the suppliers from which products are purchased.

Provides workflow with appropriate approval routing and other features or integration with the customer’s procurement application to support these requirements.

Significantly reduces procurement process operational costs.

VWR, specific to each customer site, manages inventory of products as needed both on and off site to provide high service level support for a wide range of products.



An additional service that VWR can provide as part of the complete supply chain solution is the internal building delivery of both VWR core and 3rd Party products delivery via VWR resources.

Expanded Procurement Capabilities

VWR is actively expanding our Procurement Solutions services by building additional relationships with a large group of additional suppliers outside of VWR’s core offering to provide access to more than 130 Market Source suppliers, and expanding our portfolio to more than 1.5 million additional SKUs.

Additional investments are being made to significantly enhance our ability to integrate with our customer’s procurement applications whether they are Ariba, SAP, or a homegrown proprietary solution. This significant investment in technology, data, and personnel further expands our leading capabilities as a low cost, one-stop shopping experience for our customers.

2.18 Equipment Consignment

The Universities may desire to have a consignment program installed in various locations. The consignments shall consist of basic lab equipment items ranging in value from $500 to $5,000 (discounted price) with a total consignment valued at each university of approximately $30,000. Consigned items will be rotated periodically with coordination of the store’s managers. A consignment program shall be made available to other Consortium members if requested.

Examples of consignment equipment items would be balances, pH meters, incubators, micro centrifuges, electrophoresis power supplies, water baths, etc.

Clearly state your proposal for an equipment consignment program.

VWR provides an array of consignment inventory programs to support our customers’ business objectives of freeing up inventory assets and associated carrying costs.

VWR and IBA Members would work together to develop product scope, inventory levels and inventory turns for each site’s consignment program. VWR would bill each IBA member for the products used upon replenishment of the inventory at each site. At a minimum, VWR would conduct quarterly reviews with each site to ensure that agreed-upon objectives are met.

VWR welcomes discussions with any IBA Members to understand their requirements, and assist in providing the benefits that a consignment program can deliver.

2.19 Freight Policy

All products shall be shipped F.O.B. Destination, at Prospective Bidder’s expense. Destination shall be the location(s) specified in the Purchase Instrument. All items shall be at the Prospective Bidder’s risk until they have been delivered and accepted by the receiving entity. All items shall be subject to inspection on delivery. Hidden damage will remain the responsibility of the Prospective Bidder to remedy without cost to the IBA; regardless of when the hidden damage is discovered. Prospective Bidders are responsible for filing and expediting all freight claims with the carrier.

Emergency/rush delivery requiring special shipping and handling will be at the supplier’s expense, at no cost to the Consortium participants. Rush delivery that occurs as a result of the Prospective Bidders error will also be at no charge to IBA Consortium members.


a) Describe and provide copies of Prospective Bidder’s proposed freight policy.

b) Describe your policy for rush shipments requested by the end-user.



c) Define miscellaneous charges that will be applied relating to dry ice or other specialty packaging and any discounts relating to these charges.

The 2012 freight matrix can be found in Attachment 5:

2.20 Shipping Label, Packing Slips and Invoices

A shipping label shall be visibly located on the outside of each package and include the following items:

a) Specified recipient’s nameb) Department namec) Purchase order or contract release numberd) Complete address including building name and room numbere) Authorized agent or ordering entityf) Telephone numberg) Campus mail code (if applicable, based on institution requirements)h) Zone (if applicable, based on institution requirements)

A packing slip shall also be included with each shipment, and shall include the above-noted information along with the following:

a) Line-item descriptionb) Quantity orderedc) Quantity included in shipment d) Any back order itemse) Unit Pricef) Number of parcelsg) Purchase Orderh) Contract and release numbersi) Ordering entity namej) F.O.B. (destination)

Invoices for individual orders or billing summaries for contract orders are to be sent directly to the applicable Consortium member’s purchasing department and shall contain:

a) Word descriptions of items being billed b) Appropriate purchase order or contract order numberc) Company or departmental account numberd) Release and catalog numberse) Unit list pricef) Discounted priceg) Extended priceh) Applicable percentage discount for each itemi) All items included on the packing slip

When responding to this section please provide examples of a shipping label, packing slip, and invoice. Include any information that can be provided in addition to what is listed above. The examples can be scanned and imbedded into this document or included as Attachments.

Items on a VWR Packing Slip include:

VWR’s shipping facility address; Shipping reference number printed and bar-coded; PO information printed and bar-coded; Unique carton number for easy identification; Detailed order information that includes product catalog number, customer order line number,



quantity, unit of measure, a unique customer catalog number & product description. Priced packing slips are optional. VWR also includes Country of origin and Customs number to assist in International shipments; Notices that MSDS documents are available for download from VWR.com.

See Attachment 6 Packing Slip Example for your review.

2.21 Payment Terms

At a minimum, The Consortium requires net terms allowing at least 30 days for payment.

Discounted terms for early payment should be included in the Proposal.

Terms of VWRs proposal is net 30 days for payment of individual invoices

2.22 Minimum Orders

Unless stated otherwise, there will be no minimum quantity or minimum order charge on any item. Additionally, The Consortium members will not be charged restocking fees for returned goods. The Consortium will order only the quantities actually required.

VWR requires no minimum quantity or monetary volume for orders

2.23 Delivery and Distribution

Prospective Bidder must bid a minimum of 85 percent of the items listed in Section III. Offers for less than 85% will not be considered.

All supply orders must be completed within three (3) business days after receipt by the vendor. All equipment orders (single item with a net cost of greater than $5,000) must be completed within seven (7) business days. Orders or portions thereof may be cancelled by the applicable Consortium member if not completed in thirty (30) days.

When an item is out of stock at the time the order is placed, the Consortium members reserve the right to place the order with the secondary vendor.

When responding to this section, please:

a) Address how you will guarantee performance in the Proposal for any Consortium members that may require “just in time” shipments.

b) Provide the IBA with information on Prospective Bidder’s delivery capabilities for all the product groups that you are proposing to supply.

Order Shipping and Consistent Delivery Performance

The VWR North America distribution network provides consistent same day order processing / shipping through standard 12 Noon order entry cut-off. Delivery typically is within 24-48 hours for most customer locations. Customer facilities in more rural locations could take additional time for delivery dependent upon carrier service area. VWR can provide specialized delivery arrangements upon collaboration between VWR and the IBA customer. Filling a laboratory chemical or branded product from Regional Distribution Centers (RDC) follow the rule “orders in by 12 Noon will ship same day”. Orders received after the noon cut–off will ship next day; however, special provisions can be made on an



account by account basis to extend the standard cut-off to as late as 2 pm. VWR would look forward to collaborating with each IBA location to ensure their specific order and delivery needs were met. In addition, all emergency or rush orders will ship same day through 4 PM daily. These orders are entered as "Immediate Orders" which will indicate emergency order handling to the warehouse. Emergency orders after 4PM cut-off may be accommodated by contacting customer service.

Emergency Delivery

VWR provides emergency 24/7 order processing and delivery arrangements. VWR customers may contact their Sales representative 24/7 for an emergency order, allowing production to continue until a standard stock order is received. The VWR RDC personnel will handle arranging the delivery of the product either by ground or air (if product meets International Air Transportation Requirements) directly to the customer’s site.

2.24 Location of Goods Provide a list of the locations for all Distribution Centers and Warehouse operations that will serve the Consortium within Iowa and its contiguous states.


a) List the location of Prospective Bidder’s closest distribution center and the number of items stocked in that location, and

b) Provide an estimate of the number of orders that can be filled within 24-48 hours.

VWR United States Major Distribution Centers

Denver Georgia Philadelphia San

FranciscoChicag

o

Total Warehouse (sq. ft.) 130,000 42,000 400,000 300,000 340,000

SKUs 15,000 6,000 32,000 24,500 27,000

Total Inventory $10 M $15 M $55 M $40 M $26.9 M

Avg. Orders Processed per Day 1400 300 4,400 2,550 2,700

Service Levels* 92.3% 95.5% 92.3% 92.6% 93.2%

* Complete lines shipped from stock same day, same warehouse.

2.25 Stocking Requirements

The successful vendor must agree to set aside and reserve inventory for each item listed in the Core Pricing Excel spreadsheet, referenced in Section 3.2(b). To effectively support the contract 1/10 the estimated annual requirement or one unit, whichever is greater, should be reserved for each Consortium member. The purpose of this requirement is to ensure immediate availability of a 30 day supply.



The successful vendor will stock as required by Consortium members. This stock program will include vendor supplied storage (freezer) and appropriate supervision to ensure viability of all products offered. The stock program will be located at ISU's Chemistry Stores, SUI Biochemistry Stores, and at other locations to be specified if volume and need warrant it.

At times, special high volume needs may arise at the stores’ locations for a particular item which may not be anticipated in this document. It is incumbent upon the vendor to work with the store managers and suppliers to ensure the best possible pricing solutions exist in such circumstances.

VWR has the inventory management tools and a seasoned regional purchasing staff (88 years experience spread among 6 people) to reserve inventory and manage annual requirements. The tools and the human resources will be applied accordingly, based on the agreement between VWR and IBA.

VWR agrees to deploy resources to successfully supervise freezers as requested for ISU.

2.26 Equipment and Supply Warranties

All equipment or mechanical supply items sold under this contract will have a minimum of a one-year parts and labor warranty or the manufacture's full warranty, whichever is longer.

Equipment is defined as a single item having a net value greater than $5,000 and/or a life span of greater than two (2) years.

For definitional purposes, mechanical supply items include, but are not limited to items such as hot plates, stirrers, centrifuges, balances, microscopes, meters, etc. that do not meet the equipment price limit, but have moving or electrical parts. All such items will be expected to include the minimum warranty noted above.

Vendor warrants to IBA Member only that all Vendor catalog Products sold hereunder will conform to the manufacturer's specifications and release tolerances for a term equal to the warranty period stated in the Product manufacturer's literature, or twelve (12) months, whichever is longer. For all other non-catalog or third-party Products, Vendor shall use reasonable efforts to assist IBA Member in obtaining sellers' and manufacturers' warranties applicable to the Products sold to IBA Member hereunder, consistent with the warranties obtained from such sellers and manufacturers by Vendor. The liability of Vendor under this limited warranty will not extend to any Products which are abused, altered or misused by the IBA Member or any other persons or entities or which become defective or non-conforming through the actions or inaction of the IBA Member or any other persons or entities. VENDOR HEREBY DISCLAIMS ALL OTHER WARRANTIES OR GUARANTEES WITH RESPECT TO THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS AGREEMENT, WHETHER STATUTORY, WRITTEN, ORAL, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, SUITABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

IBA Member acknowledges that Vendor is not the manufacturer of any of the Products sold hereunder. IBA Member hereby waives any and all actions, claims, suits and demands of any type whatsoever (including, without limitation, claims based on strict liability, Products liability, tort or contract) against Vendor, its subcontractors or agents and its or their respective employees, for personal injury, wrongful death or property damage arising out of or in any way connected with IBA Member's receipt, storage, possession, purchase or use of the Products, except to the extent caused by the gross negligence of Vendor, its subcontractors or agents, or any of its or their respective employees. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, Vendor shall not have any liability for claims based upon the death or bodily injury to any person, or for the loss of, damage to, or destruction of any property so long as Vendor or its subcontractors or agents were acting in compliance with IBA Member policies, procedures and specifications of which Vendor had been given notice,



provided compliance with any such policy, procedure, or specification was the proximate cause of such claim.

Limitation of Liability. If any Product warranted hereunder proves defective or non-conforming, Vendor’s sole liability and IBA Member’s sole remedy hereunder shall be for Vendor, to replace, at no cost to IBA Member, any such defective or non-conforming Product with a non-defective or conforming Product (as applicable) or, at IBA Member’s option, credit IBA Member’s account for all amounts paid with respect to the defective or non-conforming Product upon Vendor’s receipt of the defective or non-conforming Product. For purposes of this Agreement, a defective or non-conforming Product is defined only as a Product which is outside of the manufacturer’s defined Product specifications and release tolerances, and shall not include Products that fail to meet any fitness of use by IBA Member or any unique IBA Member’s operating conditions or applications. Vendor shall pay all taxes and transportation costs and expenses incurred by IBA Member in connection with the replacement of any defective or non-conforming Product.

In no event shall either party have any obligation or liability for any exemplary, punitive, incidental, indirect, special or consequential damages (including, but not limited to, loss of profits, use or goodwill), whether based on contract, tort (including negligence), strict liability, or any other theory or form of action, even if such party has been advised of the possibility thereof. The total liability of seller (including its subcontractors and agents), if any, for damages relating to any products sold under this agreement shall be limited to the price paid for such products(s). The total liability of seller (including its subcontractors and agents), if any, for damages relating to any services provided under this agreement shall be limited to the fees paid for the service giving rise to such claim.

2.27 Return Policy

Any Products delivered damaged, items shipped in excess of the amount authorized, or items shipped that were not ordered by the Authorized Purchaser may, at the discretion of the Authorized Purchaser, be returned to the Vendor at the Vendor’s expense within 30 days. Credit for returned goods should be made immediately once Vendor receives returned goods. If the Vendor has neither picked up nor provided for the return of rejected goods after fourteen (14) business days of notification of rejection, Authorized Purchaser may dispose of them as they see fit. Vendors will credit Authorized Purchaser for the price of the goods (plus freight if charged) regardless of the eventual disposition.

When responding to this section please describe Prospective Bidder’s proposed return policy.

Below is VWR’s policy in regard to returns and restocking fees. If the product is being returned to the vendor we will pass along the vendors restocking fee to the customer.

Product Return Policy

All returns must be authorized by VWR in order to insure proper credit. Where credits will be issued to the Customer for authorized returns under $100, the Customer is not required to return the Product to VWR except for Product(s) delivered but not ordered (picking errors). To ensure proper credit, each Product return must include the following information:

Customer Name and Address Purchase Order Number VWR Shipping Order Number Date of Invoice Catalog Number of Returned Item(s) VWR Return Authorization Number



Reason for Return

Products not authorized for return include:

Products not in completely resalable condition (including Products with damaged, missing or defaced labeling or packaging)

Chemicals, reagents, diagnostics, sterile or any controlled products (unless products do not meet specification)

Laboratory apparatus or instruments that have been used or are without the original packaging, labeling and operating manuals.

Refrigerated products or other perishables Products purchased on a Special Order Basis Products not purchased from VWR Products with an expired shelf life or an expiration date too short for resale Discontinued products

Each return shipment of hazardous materials must be packed and labeled in accordance with DOT regulations applying to transportation of hazardous materials. Shipping documents must also meet DOT regulations. When necessary, Customer shall include with each return shipment of equipment, a certification from an authorized representative of the company that the equipment was properly decontaminated in accordance with current regulations and other recommended guidelines. The product should be shipped to the indicated service center and the transportation charges prepaid. To ensure prompt handling, the return authorization number should be placed on the outside of the package.

2.28 Implementation and Communication


a) Describe Prospective Bidder’s implementation plan, including all process steps the Prospective Bidder or the Consortium must take, including quality assurance steps and associated time lines;

b) Detail the specific information, resources, and assistance the Prospective Bidder would require from the Consortium to proceed with implementation, establish service, implement ordering by various modes (e.g., fax, phone, Internet, account purchase card, procurement card, ghost card), bill at accurate contract prices, and deliver within specified lead times. If this varies by location, please specify how;

c) Describe how quickly online ordering could be implemented and available to the Consortium upon contract award. If phased (in terms of limited functionality vs. complete functionality), please specify;

d) Describe Prospective Bidder’s experience with implementations of equivalent size/complexity?

Successful implementation, whether regional, national or international, is a core competency of VWR. Our focused approach is founded on sound project management principles. We can draw a multitude of resources ranging through product specialists, business process consultants and operations professionals to ensure your expectations will be exceeded. Our approach is scalable to your expectations. See Attachment 7, Sample Implementation Plan.

2.29 Sustainability



The IBA has specific interest in products and services that are locally available; contain reusable or recycled content and/or packaging; are categorized as natural, plentiful, renewable; utilize resource efficient manufacturing processes; or are designed to facilitate dismantling, reuse or recycling.


a) Describe and list Prospective Bidder’s current and prospective programs and efforts related to sustainability principles, including but not limited to those denoted above;

b) Describe metrics Prospective Bidder currently employs to measure efforts of said sustainability programs.

Sustainability at VWR: Balancing People, Process and Planet

VWR International recognizes our customers' commitment to their sustainability goals and supports these initiatives. To this end, we have developed a global sustainability policy that guides our tactical short and long term plans. In addition to the information provided below, please reference our Sustainability pages on the web, www.vwrsp.com/sustainability.

VWR Global Sustainability Policy Enhancing the value of VWR over the long term is in the interests of VWR’s customers and associates, as well as for society as a whole. Although sustainability has been defined by many, at VWR, we are approaching sustainability to meet the three primary goals as defined by the UN World Commission on Environment and Development:

Economic growth (balancing profits with environmental responsibility) Environmental performance (includes but not limited to ‘Green’ initiatives) Social progress (leaving the world a better place)

Our objective is to enhance the value of the Company over the long term in the interests of its owners, associates, and society as a whole. VWR expects all associates to ensure that it achieves these objectives by meeting and exceeding customers’ needs through teamwork and mutual respect and by focusing on productivity, innovation and efficiency in operations. Importantly, these objectives will also be achieved by paying close attention to legal requirements, issues of social responsibility, sustained environmental protection in operations, workplace safety, and conduct that reflects the highest ethical values. VWR will work together with suppliers and customers to seek and implement flexible and innovative ways to achieve our business objectives, including ways to meet our environmental objectives.

Recognition of a customer’s commitment to sustainability is an important factor in VWR's overall Systems Solutions approach. VWR is committed to helping others achieve their business goals through products, processes, and services. Further information on VWR’s approach to sustainability is available on www.vwrsp.com/sustainability.

VWR Environmental, Health, Safety & Security PolicyVWR International, LLC (VWR) recognizes its responsibilities to environmental protection, occupational health, safety and national security. VWR is committed to achieving best environmental, health, safety and security practice throughout its business activities.


http://www.vwrsp.com/sustainability


EHS&S Management at VWR is based on continuous improvement consistent with current knowledge and is an executive-management issue.

With regard to its overall EHS&S objectives and targets, VWR will:

Comply with the requirements of relevant legislation and regulations. Incorporate appropriate environmental, health, safety and security criteria and

factors into business decisions. Develop management processes and operational procedures whose functions are

to prevent pollution and continuously improve environmental, health, safety and security performance.

Reduce the consumption of raw materials, minimize the use of environmentally sensitive materials and promote the use of recycled materials, whenever possible.

Avoid and minimize waste as far as possible and ensure all waste is managed, treated and disposed of in an environmentally acceptable manner.

Conduct on-site audits to ensure operations are in compliance with EHS&S management requirements.

Provide appropriate levels of training and support to management and employees to ensure they are able to fulfill EHS&S management requirements.

Work with major suppliers, contractors and customers to help facilitate their EHS&S performance improvement.

Make known to the public VWR’s environmental safety policy and programs and be supportive of local EHS&S initiatives.

Ensure appropriate resources are available to fully implement policy and continuously review the policy’s relevance with respect to legal and business developments.

How VWR can help you meet your sustainability goals When you choose to do business with VWR and our suppliers, you can engage in sustainable business practices. Below are ways that VWR can support you meeting your goals:

Consolidate Orders

VWR's integrated logistics network and award-winning e-commerce capabilities help you to streamline your ordering practices. Consolidating orders helps reduce deliveries which can help reduce emissions/fossil fuels, lower packaging waste, save paper and energy, and may also help reduce receiving costs and freight charges.

Consolidate Orders, combine purchases for higher order totals and consider limiting to once per day/week

Purchase multiple item packs Increase item lines in a single order Order in bigger quantities

Order Electronically

Ordering and receiving order confirmations/invoices electronically saves paper, decreases order processing time and reduces paper waste

Order online: vwr.com (24 hrs/7 days a week) VWR.com Quote-to-Order process can be used completely paper-free Use EDI/XML transmission standards Consider choosing products that are energy efficient, ISO certified,

recyclable, reusable or made with recycled content products

Download Literature & Technical Documents



Download MSDS, Certificate of Analysis and other technical documentation online from our website to avoid printing and shipping of documents

Avoid printing of literature by downloading many literature pdfs available on vwr.com

Sign up for our monthly e-newsletter

Take Advantage of VWR Customized Services

Customized VWR Services & Solutions* to help support your sustainability initiatives: Detrashing Plasticware recovery for recycling/reuse where possible Pipette tip boxes recycling program Cleanroom Garment Recovery Chemical Tracking

* Locations vary. Contact your VWR Sales Representative for information and options.

VWR Supplier Initiatives

VWR aligns with many manufacturers who have engaged in sustainable business and/or manufacturing processes. Please visit www.vwrsp.com/sustainability, Products and Promotions, for more information on specific supplier products and promotions.

What VWR Does

While VWR supports our customers' sustainability initiatives, we are also helping to do our part in improving and developing best sustainable business practices. We're making an effort at certain VWR locations by:

Logistics & Transport

Shipping Materials

Using shipping boxes made from 43% recycled fiber Using recyclable paper wadding Refining our packing process to avoid use of packing chips Reusing Styrofoam coolers for frozen shipments Recycling cardboard and wood pallets in our warehouses Recycling paper, packing materials, aluminum

VWR Transport Fleet

Leveraging transport capacities of external partners to avoid deliveries with close-to-empty trucks

Maintaining alliances with transport vendors (UPS & DHL) who have strong environmental platforms

Optimizing our logistics system to consolidate shipments to customers

VWR Travel Policy

Using online conferences via WebEx in combination with telephone conferences helps to reduce the amount of travel

Customer Communication



Print Catalog Options

VWR uses FSC Certified (Chain of Custody) printer and paper whenever possible

Customer choice of paper or cd version of VWR Catalog

Electronic Marketing Materials

Alternatively offering materials as PDF in our PDF libraries on vwr.com Emails with links to PDF documents instead of paper promotions Print-on-Demand solutions used in order to print only as needed

Optimized Mailing Database

More granular management of customers’ interest areas to target promotional material

Focused campaigns to reduce print quantityEnergy & Waste Management

Energy, Waste Management & Recycling

T5 light system enhancements with motion detection to reduce energy consumption

Activities to recycle paper, glass, and other material in our warehouses & corporate offices

Recycling of printer toner

Centralization of Computer Servers

Centralized computer centers are helping to reduce the need for Server Hardware and required energy and resource to maintain (i.e. cooling)

Recent reduction of server count significantly impacted resource consumption

Recyclable Products, Buybacks, trade-ins for obsolete or unusable itemsVWR does facilitate certain programs to dispose of/trade-in obsolete items. These programs are run through, and in conjunction with, our suppliers. For example, Eppendorf North America offers trade-in programs of both pipettors and microcentrifuges, where parts are recycled if appropriate, the unit is disposed of properly or if still functional, is donated to a local high school.

Reporting of key metrics can be developed based on the individual requirements of IBA Members.

VWR currently offers over 16,000 products designated as "sustainable" by our suppliers. We will be working with our suppliers to gather more detailed information about sustainable product attributes that will allow our customers to make more informed purchasing decisions. VWR is working to integrate sustainable product purchases into customer KPI reports and expect these reports to be developed in the near future.

2.30 Environmental Practices

All packaging must comply with applicable federal and state laws regulating handling and transportation. When possible, packaging will consist of biodegradable corn or soybean products.


a) Supply information on packaging materials with your offer.



b) Prospective Bidder shall describe efforts to reduce packaging associated with the delivery of Scientific Equipment and Supplies while maintaining product integrity. Include any current or anticipated practices to incorporate readily recyclable packaging (e.g. no molded plastics, no polystyrene) and use of packaging that is returnable to the manufacturer at no cost to the end user;

c) Prospective Bidder shall describe whether, or to what extent, the proposed Scientific Equipment and Supplies are designed in such a way as to facilitate dismantling and reuse or recycling.

Included in Sustainability response in 2.29 above.

2.31 Targeted Small Business Program

The “Targeted Small Business Program” (TSB) is an in-state certification program for small businesses owned by minorities, women or persons with disabilities. The state places a high priority on supporting the purchase of products and services from TSB companies in the following two categories: 1) Products manufactured or sourced via a certified TSB company; and 2) Services provided by or sourced via a certified TSB company.


a) Describe how Prospective Bidder will provide opportunities for TSB companies. At a minimum, describe how Prospective Bidder will work with the certified TSB companies to determine what products can be a part of the pricing agreement;

b) Describe how Prospective Bidder will track utilization of TSB companies products and services, including: order, delivery, and invoicing;

c) Describe how Prospective Bidder can interface with Minority Business Enterprises, Women Business Enterprises and Veteran owned businesses, State of Iowa certified Targeted Small Businesses, and Persons with Disabilities Suppliers.

d) Define how this information will be reported to each institution based on their purchases.

e) Include how Prospective Bidder would identify products available through the contract and through third-party sourcing that are supplied by Federal and State of Iowa certified Small, Targeted and Disadvantaged Businesses.

VWR Supplier DiversityVWR International recognizes the outstanding contributions made by small and diverse businesses to the economic health and diversity of communities throughout the United States. We are committed to offering maximum practicable opportunity for potential suppliers to participate in its procurement activities regardless of size and ownership status.

VWR’s Supplier Diversity policy encourages purchasing opportunities for small and diverse businesses in a manner that promotes awareness, builds strategic relationships, and develops successful and mutually beneficial partnerships.

Small and Diverse Business Outreach

VWR’s small business program promotes sales opportunities for small businesses, small disadvantaged businesses, historically underutilized businesses, minority-owned, women owned, veteran-owned and service disabled veteran-owned businesses and HUBZone small businesses. VWR maintains a company-wide commercial products subcontracting plan in compliance with federal regulations with 48CFR 52.219-9, requires its large business suppliers to provide similar support for small businesses in compliance with 48CFR 52.219-8 and provides active support for its customers’ small business subcontracting programs.

VWR seeks small and diverse business suppliers to provide trade products to VWR’s customers. These products include laboratory supplies, instruments, equipment and



services purchased by VWR’s customers. In addition, VWR seeks small and diverse business suppliers to provide administrative goods and services at its locations throughout the United States.

2.32 Disaster Emergency Recovery

A Presidential Disaster Declaration is determined once a disaster has occurred and the State has declared a state of emergency. The State will evaluate the recovery capabilities of the State and local governments. If it is determined that the damage is beyond their recovery capability, the governor will send a request to the President. Examples of Disasters include (but not limited to) the following: Earthquake, Enemy Attack, Energy Disruption, Grass or Timber Fire, Severe Winter Storm, Expansive Soil, Public Disorder, Dam Failure, Hailstorm, Thunderstorm/Lightening, Extreme Heat, Terrorism, Structural Failure, Landslide, Tornado, Flash Flood, Pandemic, Structural Fire, River Flood, Windstorm.


a) Describe Prospective Bidder’s policy and process if a disaster occurs;

b) Describe alternate delivery methods;

c) Describe warehouse access;

d) Describe online ordering and payment processes if a disaster occurs;

e) Provide main contact name, title, phone and email to contact during this time.

VWR maintains a Disaster Recovery (DR) Plan that contains the detailed procedural information that addresses VWR information systems (IS) and response and recovery requirements. This plan shall define management's arrangements for managing operations and activities in accordance with IS industry practices and VWR corporate policy. These processes represent the plans and protocols for achieving and maintaining the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of all critical IS assets. The DR process shall be tested annually, which allows for validation of current recovery strategies.

VWR also has a corporate-wide Business Continuity Program to help address potential risks that could have an effect on normal business activity, including an interruption to our normal staffing plan and supply chain.

VWR’s business continuity plan is of a proprietary and confidential nature and therefore, not available for release in its entirety. For more details, please see the Attachment 8a:

See additional Table of Contents (TOC) documents as well for supplemental information in Attachment 8b and 8c:

Main VWR DR Contacts

Mark Buttrum, Customer Logistics Manager: [email protected] 630-809-0258Josh Jensen, Director of Distribution: [email protected] 484-885-9308





2.33 Security and Data Protection

Prospective Bidder should adhere to the following regulations to ensure security and data protection requirements:

a) Detailed transactional data, as defined by the participating entities, must accompany credit card transactions to card processor; this is referred to as level III data.

b) Prospective Bidder will be required to uphold and maintain the security standards defined by PCI Data Security Standards https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/security_standards/pci_dss.shtml

VWR provides Level III settlement information to American Express, Visa and MasterCard for the US and Canada.

2.34 IBA Purchasing Consortium Funding Allowance

Without affecting the approved discounts of prices specified in the Category Pricing Section herein, each Prospective Bidder shall include a one percent (1.0%) Contract Administrative and Marketing Fee (CAF) to be rebated quarterly to the Iowa Biotechnology Association. This CAF will be collected by the Prospective Bidder on every purchase made against the contract.

The Prospective Bidder will be responsible for providing the Executive Director of the Iowa Biotechnology Association a quarterly business report detailing all purchases made against the contract for that quarter, and the corresponding CAF to the IBA.

The one percent CAF will be used to fund the activities of The Consortium. This amount may be adjusted as required by the Board of Directors of the IBA. Some form of CAF allowance will be an integral part of each Consortium Contract unless prohibited by law.

VWR agrees to the 1% royalty.

2.35 Payment and Ordering Discounts or Rebates

Prospective Bidders shall indicate any additional savings to be offered and included in Proposal to the Consortium. All Administrative Fee/Rebates will be provided to participating entities on a quarterly basis within 90 days of the quarter’s end. As an alternative, these discounts can be provided in the form of a discount at the time of order placement.

Examples of rebates/discounts include, but are not limited to:

a) Payment with an authorized Purchase Card, credit card or other instantaneous payment.

b) Online order placement of 75% or more.

c) Online order placement of 90% or more.

d) All online orders from a given participant meet or exceed an average size of $150 per order.

e) If all of the participant’s online orders reach an average size of $_______________ per order. An additional rebate of _________ % will be provided. As an alternative to a rebate, a discount could be provided at the time of order.

f) Participant utilizes a single point delivery location.

g) Participant purchases in bulk.

h) Participant meets vendor brand preference threshold.

i) Prospective Bidder shall indicate the volume rebate that will be provided to the State of Iowa participating entities (DAS and political subdivisions, DOT, and Regents Institutions) and IBA


https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/security_standards/pci_dss.shtml


participants on an annual basis. Please outline the rebate based on the following annual purchases against the contract.

$10 million ______%$15 million ______%$16 million ______%$17 million ______%$18 million ______%$19 million ______%$20 million ______%$21 million ______%$22 million ______%$23 million ______%$24 million ______%$25 million ______%$26 million or more ______%

j) Prospective Bidder is awarded the IBA contract as the sole Primary Vendor.

k) If the Prospective Bidder also operates a commercial website for general public access that offers certain items at pricing that is less than contract pricing, Prospective Bidder should be willing to ensure that the Consortium members will receive the lower of contract pricing or public website pricing.

k) Please include any other discounts or rebates Prospective Bidder is willing to provide.

VWR offers IBA the following incentives based on implementation of a primary award with VWR.

Volume Rebate(s): Early Adoption Incentive of 10% of all sales over PY baseline for the first ninety (90) days after implementation.

Year over Year Growth Incentive of up to 4% Tiered for all sales over prior year baseline. This incentive begins after the Early Adoption Incentive and will be paid annually. Excluded from this rebate are third party (non catalog) product sales and services.

Incentive calculations will begin the first of the month following execution of the agreement unless specified otherwise above. Unless otherwise specified above, incentives will be paid out sixty (60) days after the incentive period.

Tiered Incentive: 2% on growth less than $1 million3% on growth between $1 million and $3 million4% on growth greater than $3 million

VWR Brand rebate of 0.5% of incremental core product growth when Private Label sales is greater than 25% of core product sales.

Royalty 1% of all transactions to be to the IBA.

Ecommerce for University of Iowa 1% of all sales transacted through B2B.

The payment of incentives is contingent upon compliance with the payment terms of Net 30 days. In the event payments are consistently made outside of the stated payment



terms, and where reasonable notice has been given to IBA and Consortium Members of non-compliance with the payment terms of this Agreement, no rebate will be paid.

Calculation example provided in Attachment 9.

2.36 Special Incentive and Volume Discounts

The Consortium expects the combined volume generated by the Consortium and participating entities will provide for improved discounts superior to those offered to the Consortium members on past individual contracts of lesser dollar amounts. Special pricing offered as incentives to increase business or for promotional purposes (e.g. new lab start-up discounts) are to be offered as part of the Prospective Bidder’s proposal. Special volume incentives will be expected to apply to the most frequently purchased products. The successful Prospective Bidder shall review Consortium members purchasing history at least once per year with the goal of identifying further savings for high volume items.

Any special offers should be communicated with IBA Executive Director on a weekly basis.

Please outline how Vendor would communicate special pricing, periodic sales, rebate opportunities, etc. to the IBA Members

See above for VWR incentive offering.

2.37 Additional Value-Added Incentives

Additional offers for efficient contract management practices by IBA members that would add value to your Proposal should be clearly stated in your offer. The IBA will determine a realistic value to each value-added offer and, if applicable, factor that value in to the cost evaluation. However, each Consortium member company or institution has the right to determine if cost savings offered in response to this RFP merits utilizing the service or product offered. Therefore, it is in each Prospective


2012 Estimated Rebate Result

Quick Conversion - 10% $ 189,154

Transaction Fee - 1% $ 104,000

E-Commerce Fee - 1% $ 17,546

Tiered Growth Rebate - 4% $ 213,836

Private Label Rebate - 1/2% $ 37,299

Estimated Total 2012 Rebate and Incentive Results $ 561,835


Bidder’s interest to ensure the Proposal contains pricing and value added services that will be attractive to the member companies and institutions of the Iowa Biotechnology Association.

The Regent Institutions will be awarding Supplier(s) that have the ability to partner with each institution to develop and enhance ongoing, current, and future research. The Supplier will be required to meet the unique needs of each entity. The Institutions require an on-site product representative that is very knowledgeable in current and developing research. This representative is required to have detailed product understanding, quick response times, and ability to provide information pertinent to research being conducted. The awarded Supplier should have the ability to see a broad scope of research capabilities that will assist in development and not delay progress.

Spend Analytics Process Overview:

VWR understands the objectives of the IBA Members: To drive cost savings on current spend, with data driven documentation of

sustainable year over year reductions in the total cost of laboratory purchases. To document the implementation of the best pricing and practices. To maintain and expand the breadth of product for convenience of faculty and

investigators. To reduce the current active supplier base. To identify IBA and supplier dedicated resources to help with contract

implementation, customer support, and product standardization.

VWR also offers a supplemental strategic savings plan that is based on a proven process at similar academic institutions. The intent of this process is to forge a partnership that delivers both immediate and long term savings, while driving volume to the preferred choice of the institution.

As a primary supplier VWR would implement the following cost savings process. That would deliver immediate and sustainable cost savings. This process has been implemented at multiple institutions like Notre Dame, Dartmouth, Cornell, Auburn, as well as The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, IBA can count on this being a process that produces documentable results.

Three Phase Process

Phase One: Immediate cost savings with no effect on the faculty and research community, implemented on day one of agreement.

Immediate Cost Savings on current IBA spend with VWR, utilizing becnhmarked pricing analyis1 (VWR Addressable Spend)

Extension of immediate cost savings on like spend from other distributors (Fisher, RPI, Midwest Scientific)

Documented reduction on existing freight charges (freight, fuel surcharge, hazardous material)

Phase Two: Program and product changes resulting in documented cost savings, and minimal effect on the faculty and research community.

Targeted cost savings on manufacturer supported pricing (Corning, BD, Nalge Nunc, etc)

Identification of alternate products based on current usage resulting in cost reductions

Direct spend target plan resulting in product and acquisition savings



Phase Three: Progressive structure and system changes to provide systemic sustainable savings.

VWR Stockroom management and delivery operations VWR Catalyst™ services for equipment maintenance/repair Chemical management

VWR is confident in the process decsribed above, and welcomes further dialog with the IBA Membership to validate and document said savings associated with the process. The average savings with this process has been 10-20%. If the IBA is interested in furthering this partnership and moving forward with implementing the cost savings process as outlined. VWR would ask to have priority on B2B platforms, priority for manufacture pricing, and the opportunity to match or beat pricing offered by other suppliers.

VWR Services - CatalystAbout VWR Catalyst - Global ServicesWith VWR Catalyst, we will be able to focus our resources on critical, revenue-generating priorities while you benefit from the Best Demonstrated Practices of VWR’s supply chain expertise.

In today’s business environment, the challenge is to leverage more from your key assets, processes, and business partners. VWR Catalyst enables your people to focus on your core business, while our experts handle the essential non-core activities vital to your research laboratory operation.

VWR Catalyst solutions are in place in many of the world’s leading companies, helping these firms re-focus their energies on core functions, improving operations, and ultimately saving time and money. It is from this experience that we are able to develop and implement comprehensive, yet customized, Total Supply Chain Management solutions that extend right to your site. How can we accomplish this for you? By delivering unparalleled excellence in four key areas:Expertise – Over 150 years of experience in supply chain management, material logistics, and support services for people engaged in science.

Technology – Advanced tools that provide sophisticated solutions for inventory control, inventory management, forecasting, and more. Leverage our technology to improve your operation.

Process – Proficiency in business process analysis, process control, and reporting to achieve continuous improvement based on Six Sigma methodology, ISO processes, and a host of powerful metrics that drive accountability.

People – Uniquely qualified, intensely trained associates dedicated to service excellence through a proactive management style.

For over 25 years, VWR International has supported our customers by providing quality services to researchers, procurement professionals and facilities managers. Building on that history of service excellence, our portfolio consists of on-site and off-site services, to include:

Laboratory and Production Services• Supply Chain Services

• Inventory Management•Custom Delivery Services



•Point of Use Services•Chemical Tracking •Specialized Distribution

- Kitting, Carts- Contract Warehousing- Clinical Trials Management

• Facilities Support•Glassware Washing•Cleanroom Management•Chemical Handling•Media Preparation

Procurement Services• Outsourced Procurement

•1.5 million Additional Products Available to Customers•On-Site Procurement Services•Web-Based Solutions•B2B Integrations

Production Chemicals Services• cGMP Compliant Processes• ISO/cGMP Compliant Service Center Network

• Secure, Environmentally Controlled Facilities• Sophisticated Warehouse Management Systems

• Lot Control Capabilities• Product Documentation

• C of A Availability• Automated Change Notification Process

• Sampling Services• On site Clean Room Facilities

• Dedicated Resources• Sales Expertise in Production Management• Production Materials Planners

VWR has committed to significant investments in our Services infrastructure. Since July of 2004, through the acquisition of Alpha Omega Services, we have enhanced our position as a provider of quality calibration services to the research and production communities.

Also in 2004, VWR expanded its Service Center infrastructure with the opening of a state-of-the-art facility in Franklin, Massachusetts. Since that time there have been other Service Center expansions in Puerto Rico, Southern California and the Mid Atlantic area.

VWR Service Centers provide specialized distribution and technical services to targeted markets including production chemical distribution, calibration facilities, and specialized distribution such as kitting, de-trashed cart programs, and custom warehousing, to name a few.

The VWR Service Centers provide environmentally controlled storage of production materials in a secure facility that assists our customers in meeting cGMP requirements through stringent warehouse management processes, lot control, change notification, labeling, documentation and other valuable services. The VWR Service Centers are designed to help our customers mitigate risk in the supply chain.

Backed by over 150 years of experience in supply chain management, VWR is your single supply partner with access to the products, services and technical support you need to operate at peak productivity. VWR can provide a selection of services that scale across all industry segments, including pharmaceutical, biotechnology, food and beverage,



microelectronics and others. Our well documented standard operating procedures and fine tuned process controls insure a consistent level of quality and reliability. Whether it is research, engineering or production, VWR Global Services is able to develop and implement comprehensive, customized service solutions that allow our customers to leverage our core competencies within their non-core areas.

Equipment and instrument services (EIS)VWR offers a full suite of calibration, validation, asset management and compliance services for laboratory equipment and instruments.

Validation – VWR validation and protocol development work satisfies all FDA and EPA guidelines for qualification (IQ, OQ, PQ verification) of your instruments, equipment and systems.

Calibration – Equipment calibration, service and verification requirements on a wide range of brands of pipettes, balances, refrigerators, freezers and numerous other laboratory equipment/instruments. Calibrations are performed by a highly skilled team of technicians either on site or through our network of conveniently located laboratories.

Asset Management – Using cutting edge technology to manage the life cycle of customer-owned assets; commissioning, set up, installation, calibration, repair, maintenance and decommissioning.

Compliance Services – Consultative, instructional and project management based activities that usually include regulatory assessments, training, document development and controls.



SECTION IIIPricing

3.1 Pricing

Prices will be based on either the product Manufacturer's Published List Price or your current catalog price (whichever is less), less applicable discounts at the time the order is placed. List-Less discount structure is used to comply with Federal Office of Management and Budget Circular A-110 standards which state "The "cost plus a percentage of the cost" method of contracting shall not be used." For written orders, "the time of the order" will be the date the order is postmarked, and for telephonic and electronic orders the order date will be the date of the order transmission.

Special pricing agreements for quantity or quality, if applicable, that are currently in effect from past agreements with individual Consortium members will be continued. However, the evaluation of this RFP will be based solely on your list-less pricing and value added proposals made in response to this RFP.

VWR's offered discounts will be applied to the VWR published List Price

3.2 Core List Pricing

Prospective Bidders should be aware the core list represents items actually purchase by participants in 2010. As such, many Core List items are Prospective Bidders branded or private label products exclusive to the current contract holders, Fisher Scientific and VWR. Inclusion of these products is not intended to restrict competition. When establishing Core List pricing offers, Prospective Bidders should use their equivalent vendor branded or private label products. If a Prospective Bidder does not have its own brand or private label products they are free to offer any brands they feel are equivalent to the products in the Core List. This list will contain no fewer than 100 items and no more than 200 items and will be updated quarterly.

a) Describe proposed Core List refresh cycles and procedures.

b) Complete the attached Core Pricing Excel spreadsheet as provided, do not submit your responses in a different format. Changes to the spreadsheet are not acceptable.

c) When you are completing the Core Pricing Spreadsheet, include the following in the fields provided:i.Item price as requested based on Vendor’s proposed category discounts.ii.Category the item is included in.iii.Additional discount for “Core” item pricingiv.Static pricing discounts or caps as outlined below in Section 3.3.

VWR will hold the core list for balance of 2012 and then refresh the core list semi-annually by taking the top 200 items by quantity from the previous 12 months of combined IBA usage.

3.3 Static Pricing

Each Prospective Bidder shall submit pricing that is firm and fixed for the initial six month period of the contract term for the Core Items described in Section 3.2 and listed on the Core Pricing Spreadsheet. This firm and fixed discount pricing shall not be at a discount rate less than that offered for full catalog item discount pricing for similar product/commodity category. The Prospective Bidder shall offer firm and fixed pricing beyond the initial six month period in quarterly intervals.

Please list and describe:

a) Prospective Bidder’s willingness to lock firm pricing for Core Items and the length of time available;

b) Any proposed periodic (e.g. quarterly) discounts to be applied to the Core items, or



c) Price increase caps that would be in place to maintain static pricing.

VWR proposes price changes to occur on the core list semi-annually by taking the top 200 items by quantity from the previous 12 months.

3.4 Category Pricing

For each category, provide pricing as a percentage discount on a Manufacturer's List Price Less Discount basis in the space to the right of each item category. These discounts will remain firm for the life of the contract. As noted below, additional categories and their respective pricing discounts can be added. If items are not included and/or specifically noted as a new category below, the IBA expects the proposed Misc discount (Item #163 in this section) to apply.

Bidders may use catalog pricing in lieu of manufacturer’s list pricing, when the manufacturer’s list price is not available or where the bidder is the manufacturer of the product. For example, products made by major brands such as Mettler, Corning, Eppendorf, Becton Dickinson etc., discounts must be stated as MFG List-Less. For products made by, or specifically for, the bidder, such as vendor’s branded products, these categories can be offered at Catalog List-Less, unless a published manufacturer’s published list price exists. The rationale for having Manufacturer’s List-Less discounting is that the contract pricing can be readily verified through a number of independent sources. Bidders will indicate in their response which categories are discounted from the manufacturer’s list price or the vendor’s catalog.

No cost or margin floors will be allowed for any pricing offered. If you are unable to bid on a category, so indicate by placing N/A in the space. If a manufacturer does not publish suggested list pricing please contact us at least 10 working days before the bids close. You may state an alternate name brand in lieu of "vendor's brand". All items offered in a category must carry the discount offered unless subdivided as stated below.

Prospective Bidder must bid a minimum of 85 percent of the items listed below. Offers for less than 85 percent will not be considered.

All proposed discounts are from VWR published List Price.

VWR has made every effort to ensure the integrity of the proposed pricing in Section 3.4. Due to the nature of the “list-less” pricing requested and categories supplied, there may be a rare occasion where the sell price of individual items fall below our cost, VWR will present these exceptions to the IBA at quarterly business meetings.

Instructions:

If you wish to bid additional categories or subdivide existing/new categories, you may do so with the following provisions:

a.All original categories must be retained.

b.The format of any response must be the exact format shown in this section.

c.Additional categories shall be listed in alphabetical order.

d.Subdivisions must appear immediately below the pertinent category.

e.Where "Vendor’s Brand" is requested please state the manufacturer(s) of the Vendor branded products offered immediately below the category.

f.Alternatives to product brand names may be offered as long as the brand is stated next to and immediately following the brand name requested. The Consortium will determine whether such alternatives are acceptable.



g.Large categories such as Hospital/Medical Equipment and Supplies and Safety Equipment and Supplies may contain products that fall into other categories such as disposable plastic-ware, chemicals, etc. The IBA is looking for those items in your specialty catalogs or dedicated catalog sections dealing with Hospital/Medical and Safety equipment and supplies. Logical subdivisions could include but are not limited to: surgical tools and supplies, gas detectors, safety cabinets (like Eagle), gowns, safety/clean-room coveralls, breathing apparatus, medical analyzers, test kits, etc.

h.For purposes of evaluation, product categories that are sub-divided by vendors may be averaged to provide a single discount for the category.

Item Category Manufacturer List - Less

*1. Animal Cages – systems and Nalgene _45.2%__ accessories

2. Animal Cages – systems and Vendor’s Brand: Integra York _50.5%__ accessories Mfg. by: Integra York

3. Balances (to include moisture Mettler __32%__ balances)

3A. Balance Supplies & Attachments Mettler ___24%__4. Balances Vendor’s Brand: Ohaus _________

Mfg. by:____________________________4A. Balance Supplies & Attachments Vendor’s Brand: ___________________ ____N/A__

Mfg. by:____________________________5. Balances misc Mfg. by: Troemner __36%__5A. Balance Supplies & Attachments Mfg. by:_____________________________ ___N/A__6. Balances (to include moisture Ohaus ___36%__ balances)6A. Balance Supplies & Attachments Ohaus ___24%__

7. Balances (to include moisture Sartorious ___N/A__ balances)7A. Balance Supplies & Attachments Sartorious ___N/A__

*8. BIOCHEMICALS, and Enzymes Vendor’s Brands:__Angus___ ___65%________________ ___________Himedia_____ ___41.5%__

9. Blenders, Lab Waring ___48.2%_10. Blenders, Lab Brinkman ___48.2%_

11. Carts, Lab Labconco ___12%__12. Carts, Lab Rubbermaid ___50%__

13. Centrifuges table top Thermo Sorval ___29%__

14. Centrifuges table top Vendor’s Brand: Block Scientific ___58%__Mfg. by:____________________________Mfg. by:____________________________

15. Centrifuge Rotors Thermo Sorval ___29%__



16. Centrifuge Floor Model Rotors Vendor’s Brand: Beckman ___15%__Mfg. by:____________________________Mfg. by:____________________________

17. Centrifuges, Micro Beckman ___15%__

18. Centrifuges, Micro Rotors Beckman ___15%__

19. Centrifuges all models Eppendorf ___31.5%_

20. Centrifuge Rotors for all models Eppendorf ___31.5%_

21. Centrifuges, Micro Vendor’s Brand: Argos ___38%__Mfg. by:__________________________Mfg. by:__________________________

22. Centrifuges, Micro Rotors Vendor’s Brand: VWR ___37%__Mfg. by:___________________________Mfg. by:___________________________

23. Centrifuges, Table Top Beckman ___15%__

24. Centrifuges, Table Top Rotors Beckman ___15%__25. Chemicals—Organic (all grades Vendor’s Brand: Mallinckrodt ___69%__

unless exempted below) Mfg. by:_____Amresco________________ 25%Mfg. by:_____BDH/VWR 60%___Decon 50%

26. Chemicals—Inorganic (all grades Vendor’s Brand: BDH ___65%__unless exempted below) Mfg. by:_________________________

Mfg. by:_________________________

27. Chemicals—Specialty Standards Vendor’s Brand: EMD ___45%__Calibration and pH Mfg. by:__________________________

Mfg. by:__________________________

*28. Chemicals--Stains & Dyes Vendor’s Brand: VWR ___82%__Mfg. by:__________________________Mfg. by:__________________________

29. Chromatography Columns, Vendor’s Brand: Chemglass ___35%__Fittings & Supplies Mfg. by:____Agilent______________ 35%

Mfg. by:________Sun Sri_____________ 20%

30. Chromatography TLC Plates Vendor’s Brand: Whatman ___30%__Mfg. by:_________________________Mfg. by:_________________________

31. Coolers/Chillers - Point of use NesLab __N/A___remote cold probe/coil type

32. Corks - natural cork, rubber Vendor’s Brand: VWR ___81.5%_or plastic Mfg. by:_________________________

33. Cutting Mills and mixers All Brands ___41%__

34. Dewars and supplies Thermolyne ___26%__

35. Dewars and supplies Vendor’s Brand: VWR ___46%__Mfg. by:_________________________



36. Ecology/Enviromental test YSI ___24%__field equipment and supplies

37. Ecology/Enviromental test Vendor’s Brand: YSI ___26%__field equipment and supplies Mfg. by:_________________________

38. Electrophoresis Power Supplies Vendor’s Brand: VWR ___28%__and accessories Mfg. by:_________________________

39. Electrophoresis Power Supplies Harvard Appratus ___15%__and accessories

40. Electrophoresis Gel Cells-Vertical Vendor’s Brand: VWR ___34%__and accessories Mfg. by:_________________________

41. Electrophoresis Gel Cells-Horizontal Vendor’s Brand: VWR ___34%__ and accessories Mfg. by:_______________________

42. Cell Harvesting Supplies and Vendor’s Brand: Beckman __37.2%_chemicals Mfg. by:_________________________

43. Filtration products disposable Shcleicher & Schuell ___60%__

44. Filtration Products disposable Vendor’s Brand: VWR ___64%__Mfg. by:_________________________

*45. Filtration Products disposable Whatman ___35%__

*46. Filtration products disposable Gelman ___32%__

*47. Filtration products disposable Corning _________

48. Fraction Collector Buchler ___25.5%_

49. Freeze Dryers Labconco __25%___

50. Freeze Dryer Supplies Labconco __35.5%__and Attachments

51. Freeze Dryers Vendor’s Brand: Labconco __25%__Mfg. by:_________________________

52. Freeze Dryer Supplies & Attachments Vendor’s Brand: Chemglass ___25%__Mfg. by:_________________________

53. Freezers Lab Thermo Revco ___31.5%_

54. Freezers Lab Vendor’s Brand: Aga Marvel ___50%__VWR Brand 40%

Mfg. by:_________________________

55. Freezers, Ultra-Low Thermo Revco __31.5%__

56. Fume Hoods Labconco __37%___

57. Fume Hoods Vendor’s Brand: Ventakiln __52%___Mfg. by:_________________________

58. Furnace, Lab Lindberg __34%___

59. Furnace, Lab Thermolyne __18%___



60. Furnace, Lab Vendor’s Brand: ___________________ __N/A____Mfg. by:_________________________

61. Furnace, Lab Blue M ___31%__

*62. Glassware, Disposable Corning __30%___

*63. Glassware, Disposable Gold Seal (Falcon) __48.5%__

*64. Glassware, Disposable Kimble __47%___

*65. Glassware, Disposable Vendor’s Brand: Kimble ___60%__Mfg. by:_____VWR 35%______

*66. Glassware, Reusable Corning ___35%__

*67. Glassware, Reusable Kimble __46%__

*68. Glassware, Reusable Wheaton ___47%__

*69. Glassware, Reusable Kontes __30%__

70. Hematology Systems, Beckman-Coulter or Alternate Brand ___N/A__Automated

71. Hospital & Medical Equipment/ Vendor’s Brand: Cardinal __34%__Apparatus Mfg. by:_________________________

(Net unit cost exceeding $5,000)

72. Hospital & Medical Supplies Vendor’s Brand: Alere North America ___55%__(Net unit cost less than $5,000) Mfg. by:_________________________

Mfg. by:_________________________

73. Hot Plates, Standard & Stirring Corning __18%__

74. Hot Plates, Standard & Stirring Thermolyne ___18%__

75. Hot Plates, Standard & Stirring Vendor’s Brand: Nalge _43.5%__Mfg. by:______VWR 35%___________________Mfg. by:_________________________

76. Incubators-All Tpyes Thermo NAPCO __22%__

77. Incubators-All Types New Brunswick ___25%__

78. Incubators-All Types Vendor’s Brand: Sanyo __50.5%__Mfg. by:_________________________

79. Laboratory Timers Vendor’s Brand: VWR __50.5%__Mfg. by:_________________________

80. Laminar Flow Cabinets Labconco __35%___

81. Laminar Flow Cabinets Vendor’s Brand: Labconco __35%___

82. Masks/Respirators & Cartridges Vendor’s Brand(s): 3M __38.5%__

*83. Media Products Difco __32.5%__



*83. Media Products Remel ___60%__BioMerieux 15%

*84. Media Products BBL __32.5%__*84. Media Products Himedia __40%*84. Media Products Remel __50.5%__

Hyclone 20%

Amresco 25%

85. Microscopes Leica __17%__

*86. Microscopes Carl Zeiss ___N/A__

*87. Microscopes Vendor’s Brand: VWR ___38%__Mfg. by:_________________________

88. Microtomes Leica ___15%__

89. Microtomes Carl Zeiss ___N/A__

90. Dissection Supplies: Forcepts, Tweezers, Scissors, dissection pans etc: ___55.1%_

*91. Lab Cleaning Supplies: Brushes, racks and glassware washing supplies: ___68%__

92. Ovens Blue M ___34%__

93. Ovens Labline __N/A___

94. Ovens Napco ___N/A__

95. Ovens Precision __33.2%_

96. Ovens Vendor’s Brand: VWR ___40.5%_Mfg. by:_________________________

97. Photo Documentation Systems UVP ___15%__Kodak ___22.5%_Fotodyne ___N/A___

98. Pipetters Eppendorf __15.5%__

99. Pipetters Finnpipette __15.5%__

100. Pipetters Vendor’s Brand(s): Axygen __48.5%__Mfg. by:_________________________

*101. Plasticware, Disposable Vendor’s Brand(s): VWR ___65%__Mfg. by:__Beckman & Axygen_________ ___20%___Parter 68%

*102. Plasticware, Disposable General Corning ___45.5%_*102.Plasticware, Disporable General Ningbo __55%___

VWR 42%

*103. Plasticware, Disp. Tissue Culture Corning 25.5% to 39.5%*103.Plasticware, Disp. Tissue Culture Nunc __35.5%__

*104. Plasticware, Disposable Falcon __27.5%__Nalgene 25%



*105. Plasticware, Disp. Tissue Culture Falcon __25%___*105.Plasticware, Disp. Tissue Culture Lagasse __58.5%__

Greiner 45%

*106. Plasticware, Disposable Kimble __55%___

*107. Plasticware, Disp. Tissue Cult. Nagle/Nunc __30.5%__

*108. Plasticware, Reusable Nalgene __43%___

*109. Plasticware, Reusable Vendor’s Brand: Labcon __62%___Mfg. by:_________________________

*110. Plasticware, Cyro Products Nalgene ___28%__*110. Plasticware, Cyro Products Simport __43.5%_

111. pH Electrodes Mettler Toledo ___21%__

*112. pH Electrodes Corning __N/A___

113. pH Electrodes Thermo Orion __26.5%_

*114. pH Electrodes Vendor’s Brand(s): Jenco Instruments ___39%__Mfg. by:_________________________

115. pH Meters Mettler Toledo __24.5%__

116. pH Meters Thermo Orion __23%___

117. pH Meters Vendor’s Brand:Jenco Instruments __40.5%__Mfg. by:_________________________

118. pH Paper Hydrion __39%___

119. Plate Reader Bio-Tek Precision or Equivalent: Biohit __18%___

*120. Porcelain products Coors __45.5%__

121. Refrigerators, Lab, blood bank Thermo Precision __12%___Chromatography, etc

122 Refrigerators, Lab, blood bank, Vendor’s Brand: True Food __46%__chromatography, etc Mfg. by:_________________________

123. Robotics, Lab Automation Eppendorf ___N/A__

124. Robotics, Lab Automation Vendor’s Brand: Labcon __12%___Mfg. by:_________________________

125. Rotary Evaporators Buchi __25.1%__

126. Rotary Evaporators Brinkman/Heidolph __25.1%__

127. Rotary Evaporators Vendor’s Brand: Capitol Vial __34%___

Mfg. by:_________________________

128. Spin Vac Evaporators Thermo Savant __N/A____



129. Rubber Stoppers Vendor’s Brand(s): Plasticoid __78%___Mfg. by:_________________________Mfg. by:_________________________

130. Safety Supplies (Items with net unit cost less than $5,000) __40.5%__

131. Safety Equipment Items (Items with net unit cost exceeding $5,000) __30%__

132. Shakers Thermo _14.5%__

133. Shakers Labline __N/A___133. Shakers Heidolph Brinkman __27%__

134. Shakers New Brunswick ___25%__

135. Shakers Burrell ___20%__

136. Shakers Eppendorf ___15%__

137. Spectrophotometers Shimadzu ___24%__137. Spectrophotometers Newport Electronics __38.5%_

*138. Spectrophotometers Thermo / Thermo Scientific 12% to 14%

139. Stirrers Vendor’s Brand: Cowie __44%___Mfg. by:_________________________Mfg. by:_________________________

140. Syringes, Micro Hamilton __34.5%__140. Syringes, Micro Terumo __35%___

141. Thermo-cyclers Eppendorf __13%___142. Thermo-cyclers Hybaid ___N/A___

143. Thermocyclers Vendor’s Brand: Techne & Eppendorf ___15.5%_Mfg. by:_________________________Mfg. by:_________________________

144. Thermometers Vendor’s Brand: HB Instrument __55.1%_Mfg. by:_________________________Mfg. by:_________________________

145. Tubing Latex __74%__

146. Tubing Rubber ___74%__

147. Tubing Silastic __43%__

*148. Tubing Tygon ___25%__

149. Tubing Vendor’s Brand(s): Walter Stern ___65%__Mfg. by:_________________________Mfg. by:_________________________

150. Vacuum Pumps Precision ___32.1%_

151. Vacuum Pumps Vendor’s Brand(s): Humboldt Mfg ___70%__Mfg. by:_________________________Mfg. by:_________________________

152. Vacuum Pumps Welch __30.5%__



*153. Vortex Mixers Vendor’s Brand(s): IKA __45%___Mfg. by:_________________________Mfg. by:_________________________

154. Water Baths, Circulating NesLab __N/A___And Refrigerated

*155. Water Baths, Circulating Lauda __20%__and Refrigerated

*155. Water Baths, Circulating Cannon Instrument __32.5%_and Refrigerated

*156. Water Baths, Circulating Haake __N/A___and Refrigerated

157. Water Baths, Circulating Thermo/Precision ___32%_And Refrigerated

158. Water Baths, Circulating Vendor’s Brand(s): VWR __35.5%_and Refrigerated Mfg. by:____________________________

Mfg. by:_________________________

159. Water Baths, Standard & Shaking Thermo/Precision ___32%__

160. Water Baths, Standard & Shaking Vendor’s Brand(s): Grant Instruments ___36.5%_Mfg. by:_____________________________Mfg. by:_________________________

161. Water Purification Systems Thermo Barnstead/Thermolyne __32%__161. Water Purification Systems Siemens __32.5%_

162. Water Purification Systems Millipore __N/A___

*163. MISCELLANEOUS DISCOUNT For catalog items not specifically listed above ___5%__

NOTE: Item categories preceded by an asterisk (*) will receive a greater weight in the evaluation.

VWR offers the core pricing found in Attachment 10.



Form of ProposalPROPOSAL NO. IBA2011-14526

IOWA BIOTECHNOLOGY ASSOCIATION PURCHASING CONSORTIUMAuthorization Page

By submitting this proposal, Proposed Bidder has: (please initial by each):

______ Read and completely understands the Competitive Bidding Document.

_______ Based this Proposal upon the materials, supplies, equipment, and services described/requested herein.

_______ Completed and signed "Proposal" as indicated below.

_______Provided point-by-point responses to all provisions within the Competitive Bidding Document and completed the Core Pricing Spreadsheet.

_______Agreed and understands that by submitting a Proposal, Prospective Bidder is acquiescing to serve in a primary or secondary capacity, if so awarded.

[ ] YES [X ] NO The discounted pricing offered in this contract can be extended to members of nonprofit Biotechnology Associations or Universities in adjacent states with written consent.

Proprietary information is clearly marked and appears on the following pages of the submitted Proposal:___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Date: February 10, 2012

Authorized Signature:_______________________________ Title: Region Manager (Electronic signature will NOT be accepted)

Name (Printed/Typed):_Shelley White Federal Empl/Tax ID: 91-1319190

On behalf of (Legal Name of Prospective Bidder): _VWR International, LLC_______________

Telephone Number: (641) 777-8822 Email: [email protected]
