Purchasing Office

Department Overview

During September, the PCard will serve as the College’s primary means of purchasing, and there will be several important deadlines and hold periods in place for common purchasing processes as we prepare to transition to Workday on Oct. 1. Please review our message from Aug. 28, 2026 for more information.

As a central resource, the purchasing office serves the College community by developing purchasing policies and procedures, providing tools to enable the best value purchase of goods and services, and assuring that College purchasing complies with applicable federal and industry standards. The College’s purchasing is decentralized in that individual faculty and staff across campus determine business needs and make purchasing decisions on a daily basis. As such, each member of the College community that participates in the buying process accepts a responsibility as a steward of the College's financial resources and a commitment to the highest ethical standards.

For Our College Community

Learn more about the exciting developments in the purchasing department:
  • Our NEW Buyers Guide will help community members navigate the purchasing process. This guide is open to College faculty and staff, requiring single sign-on access.
  • Swarthmore College became a full voting member of the Philadelphia Area Collegiate Consortium on October 19, 2018.

For Suppliers

Learn more about Swarthmore College

Training Opportunities

  • Purchasing policy overview discussion meetings were held in Kohlberg hall this past November. The slide deck [pdf] is now available as a reference.
  • Newly scheduled PCardholder and Approver training dates are listed below. All sessions will be held at 101 S. Chester Rd., Conference Room 002. Please contact Pat Hearty to register.
    • Wednesday,  November 20, 2:00 to 3:30 pm