Print Procurement in Action: How In-plants Strategically Select Vendors

While it’s certainly the goal of any in-plant to produce as much work as possible in-house, the reality is that not every in-plant is equipped to handle every job type.

Abbas Badani, senior director of Integrated Graphics Services at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

So what qualifies a job as one that should go to an outside vendor? How are those vendors chosen? How does the process work? We talked to three different in-plants to get their perspectives on print procurement.

At Butler University Print, Copy and Mail Services in Indianapolis, outsourced print jobs account for a large portion of the in-plant’s budget.

“Approximately 6% of total jobs are outsourced, but these jobs account for 70% our budget,” notes Director Chris Davis.

The picture is slightly different at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Abbas Badani, senior director of Integrated Graphics Services, says the in-plant outsources “primarily large-volume offset, specialty, and oversize large-format.” Though the in-plant has offset, digital, and wide-format printing equipment, it can sometimes get better pricing by sending specific work to outside shops designed to handle it.

Finally, Sam Houston State University’s in-plant outsources only when necessary.

“I’m estimating that we send out about 20% of our print request to outside vendors,” says Lori Proctor, associate director of Print Services. “We really pride ourselves on our internal operation so we only send out what we absolutely cannot handle.”

Factors that will cause a job to be outsourced, she says, include quantity, time, workload, and the need for special finishing such as embossing, die-cutting, or coating.

“We went through an RFP process to secure vendors for our large-scale projects,” Proctor explains. “The vendors became preferred vendors based on pricing and quality. We have a couple of other vendors who we will send smaller outsourced jobs to that did not apply to the large-scale jobs sent to the RFP printers, but are still too large for us to complete in-house. These vendors were onboarded by having a meeting to discuss our expectations and a visit to see their operation. We feel like we can learn a lot by personally visiting the operation — you can get a sense for the way they run their business with a short tour and face-to-face meeting.”

Relationships Matter

Davis has used a similar process in the past, but notes that he relies on the relationships he has built with local vendors. “We have a list of mainly local trusted vendors we've partnered with over the course of time. We do use an RFP process for larger projects as needed, and we compare our in-house services to outsourcing with an effort to give the customers the best options.”

The staff of Butler University Print, Copy and Mail Services. From left: Chris Davis, Denise Royal, Greg Dycus, Elaine Andry, Nathan Clement, and Rory Haden.

He goes on to note that “quality and the ability to meet deadlines are top priority. While cost is a factor, the end product is priority number one.”

That emphasis on quality and the ability to hit timelines over price is one Proctor shares.

“We consider all aspects of printing when we are selecting our external vendors,” she says. “Sometimes price isn’t the concern, but it helps to know you can get great quality and turn time while getting the best price at the same time. We have vendors who are within an hour drive, and a few who are several hours away. If time is of the essence, we may select the vendor who is closest, or the one we know will meet the deadline, without a doubt. Thankfully, we really don’t have to be concerned that our vendors will hit our deadline. Most of them exceed our expectations.”

UNLV also relies on an RFP process. “Our last RFP was for five years,” says Badani. “I will be putting out a new RFP in the next three months.”

There is also some wiggle room built into the system, he adds. For special projects, the shop may solicit bids from vendors that were not pre-approved.

Tracking Jobs Produced Outside

When it comes to tracking jobs in-house versus outsourced, all three use the same system regardless of where the job is actually produced. From the intake, to the tracking, to the invoicing, all three note that having information in the same system makes it easier to keep track of the overall picture, although Proctor notes that her system does allow her to mark that the job was outsourced versus being produced by her team to make it easier to manage the process.

The team at Sam Houston State University Print Services stands between the in-plant’s Duplo System 3500 and Ricoh Pro C7500. From left: Lori Proctor, associate director, Michelle Clark, administrative assistant, Stuart King, manager, and Justin Simms, print specialist. Missing: Kevin Anderson, prepress technician.

And that is the key to managing a successful in-plant operation that makes the most out of all of its resources — both in-house and out. Badani stresses that the best advice he can give is to “develop a small pool of partner suppliers and leverage the volume rather than spread it out. Get procurement to partner with you so you are on the same page — if outsourced work is bypassing you, figure out a way to own it. It may not be the first right of refusal, but you can still make a case for being the expert to manage print — insource or outsource. Just be honest and upfront with your customers about your capabilities.”

For Davis, it’s all about finding the right people to partner with. “I think it's important to find resources both internally and externally to allow you to provide your customers with the products that make them and you successful. Outsourcing can be very valuable if it's managed properly and with the right partners. People are willing to let you manage their projects once you establish that rapport that you have their best interest at heart.”

Finally, Proctor stresses that being proactive with your vendor partners is a key element to long-term success. Don’t just RFP and then forget them.

“Find time to go visit the vendor you select,” she says. “I know sometimes it’s not feasible, but it is worth the effort to put faces to names, see the operation, etc. Build relationships with the vendor. If they know your expectations and that they must always earn your business, they will deliver with top notch service, most times.”