In an effort to reduce the costs of inbound freight on our purchases, Emory University is using Vantage Point Logistics (VPL) as a third party intermediary between the University, Federal Express and our suppliers. Instead of charging us their own shipping rates, suppliers will use Emory’s Federal Express account number for shipments. Federal Express will bill VPL directly for these shipping costs, and VPL will in turn bill us for Federal Express shipping costs (at rates which are very favorable to Emory) plus a per transaction cost (which is inversely related to our shipping volume). VPL prepares electronic files for each transaction which feed directly into SciQuest and Emory Express and link the purchase order to the Federal Eexpress shipping document, such that the actual shipping charge is tied to each individual purchase.
Departments will see the actual product cost from the supplier and the inbound freight charge from VPL separately, with the VPL charge appearing under Compass account code 62447 (In-bound freight). This has resulted in significant savings to both the University and the sponsoring agencies covering the costs of these purchases. Given that this practice follows university established procedures and is in compliance with federal grant guidelines, a CAS exception is not necessary for these charges.
If you have any questions, please contact Josh Rosenberg at josh.rosenberg@emory.edu or 7-1677.