Procurement

Furniture Products

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Guidelines for the Purchase of Furniture Products 

The University of California system has a “Primary” use contract with Steelcase, Inc. for office furniture. This Office Furniture Contract does not include conference room, lobby, lounge, lab, classroom and auditorium spaces.  This agreement intends all UC campuses to use Steelcase exclusively to purchase typical, everyday general office furniture, filing systems, and seating applications to the greatest extent possible.

Office Furniture Covered under the Steelcase Agreement*: 

• Tables (to be located in an employee/student’s office space)
• Chairs (to be located in an employee/student’s office space) 
• Filing cabinets
• Free-standing steel and laminate desks
• Bookcases
• Paneled office systems
• Task chairs and side chairs

*ALL NEW OFFICE FURNITURE MUST BE STEELCASE AND BE PURCHASED VIA PURCHASE ORDER THROUGH BKM OR DIRECTLY THROUGH DISTRIBUTION SERVICES (CAMPUS STOREHOUSE)

The Storehouse stocks a small selection of chairs and lab stools and purchases/processes all custom orders for chairs and file cabinets for the campus. Please contact Judy Hodge at x25542 to set up an appointment. You can also visit the Steelcase website for pre-specified product selection. Furniture returns will be assessed a 35% restocking fee, except in the case of a Storehouse error. 

Contact Information

BKM Representative: Mike Wytrykus, BKM Account Executive
Cell Phone: 760-402-3392
Office Phone: 858-569-4709
Email: mwytrykus@bkmsd.com

Alternate Channels for Furniture Purchases (Exceptions)

USED OFFICE FURNITURE AND OTHER THAN “OFFICE” TYPE FURNITURE MAY BE PURCHASED THROUGH ALTERNATE CHANNELS AS DESCRIBED BELOW:

• Used Furniture: In cooperation with Procurement Services, used furniture that meets or exceeds UC’s specifications and UCR Procurement Services requirements and can be bought for significantly less than used Steelcase furniture may be purchased.
• Other than Office: Laboratory, classroom, conference room, and lounge furniture may be bought from other vendors provided it complies with the UC (BUS-43) and UCR Purchasing policy and California Department of Consumer Affairs, Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation requirements. Laboratory furniture should be purchased from a laboratory supply contract source such as Fisher Scientific or VWR whenever possible. For classroom, conference room, and lounge furniture alternatives, consideration should be given to other UC agreement sources before an alternate may be selected.
• Match Existing: In limited cases, office furniture may be required to match existing furniture. All reasonable efforts must have been exhausted to utilize agreement sources.
• Ergonomic Considerations: (Subject to submission of a written evaluation by EH&S and in cooperation with Procurement Services guidelines). Steelcase is a major producer of ergonomic seating. Steelcase products should be the first seating products considered for ergonomic seating applications and should be utilized for every other purpose in which they will meet the minimum requirement. 

When Steelcase products CANNOT meet the minimum requirement nor reasonably address the special ergonomic needs, products from the following UC agreement sources should be considered (listed in alphabetical order):

• Ergogenesis
• Haworth
• OfficeMax
• Workrite

When the contract products from the above sources cannot meet the minimum requirement nor fulfill the special ergonomic needs, products from the following UC price schedule sources may also be considered (listed in alphabetical order):

• Humanscale
• One Source

If requirements are so unique that any of the above suppliers cannot reasonably fulfill them, Procurement Service may, on a case-by-case basis, grant exceptional approval to use an alternate supplier. Such special requirements must be sufficiently documented to illustrate the effort made to determine that no agreement source can fulfill the special need. Typically, a note from the employee’s doctor or a recommendation from the Campus Ergonomist is required.

Furniture Fire Resistance

All “upholstered furniture” is regulated by the California Department of Consumer Affairs, Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation. UCR Procurement Services may consult with the UCR Campus Fire Marshall to determine the final furniture specifications and ‘appropriate fitness for use.’

The following Technical Bulletins apply to UC Riverside:

• Technical Bulletin 117 (TB 117) - All furniture sold in California must meet this Bulletin. Refer to the Procurement Services for additional assistance.
• Technical Bulletin 133 (TB 133)- TB 133 requires that manufacturers of upholstery for all campus buildings meet strict fire safety requirements. The Fire Safety Division has developed guidelines for both sprinkler and non-sprinklered buildings.