Office Supplies (Staples)

Staples is the CSU system-wide contractor for office supplies; all purchases for office supplies for CSULB departments should be made through Staples unless otherwise approved through the Procurement Services office.

Access the Staples Advantage interface via your "My Apps" (formally, SSO) account. If you do not see the icon, you will need to complete a Staples Advantage Request Form to be able to browse and purchase items.

Staples also offers a CSU Employee Discount. Please contact the Staples administrator for details.

CSULB encourages sustainable business practices, therefore, we do not encourage ordering paper catalogs unless absolutely necessary (ex. individuals who do not have easy access to the Internet). If required, a paper catalog may be ordered by using Staples Item # 1204574.

By accepting a contract with the CSU, Contractors must certify they are neither nor its principals or its subcontractors are presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible or voluntarily excluded from participation in transactions by any federal department or agency (2 Code Federal Regulations[CFR] 180.220, in accordance with the Office of Management and Budget guidelines at 2 CFR 180 that implement Executive Orders 12549 (3 CFR Part 1986 Comp., p. 189) and 12689 (3 CFR Part 1989 Comp., p. 235).

For contracts using both, CSU and federally awarded funds, a debarment check must be completed prior to issuing any procurement contracts of goods or services that are $25,000.00 or greater.

Requisition Required?

No, chargeback process is used.

Administrative Guidelines Related to This Purchase?

Delegation of Purchasing Authority Guideline
Signature Authority Guideline

Key Purchasing Requirements and Quote/Bid Thresholds?

Mandatory 30% minimum recycled content for all paper purchases made on campus.

The University shall require that whenever an EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) registered product is available that meets purchasing specifications, that the EPEAT registered product to be selected.

Payments and Approvals

Chargebacks are paid through campus consolidated invoicing. Service providers obtain Speedcharts and pre-approval (by level 4 DOA or above) at initial setup and electronic approval (by level 5 DOA or above) at the time of purchase. No other additional documentation is required each month.

Additional Notes

Campus Sole Provider: Staples Advantage

When viewing chargeback entries in Data Warehouse (DWH), COS is the three-letter prefix in the Journal ID field to signify a Staples purchase.

Cardholders must use the campus office supply program to purchase office supplies under the system-wide pricing contract. Use of any Procurement Credit Card is not permitted for Staples Business Advantage purchases

GL Account(s) to Used

660003 - Supplies and Services

Refer to your Division/College/Department for additional policies and procedures.

Additional Important Information

Do I need an Accessibility Technology Initiative (ATI ) Review? Yes

When is an Electronics & Information Technology (E&IT) Checklist Required?

The Electronic and Information Technology Checklist (E&IT Checklist) is a requirement put forth to create equal access to information and technology for everyone. Information and Communications Technology (ICT) pertains to anything that creates, stores or transfers digital information. This includes equipment, systems, technologies, or processes, for which the principal function is the creation, manipulation, storage, display, receipt, or transmission of electronic data and information and associated content.

Examples of the most common products and services that require an E&IT Checklist are listed below.  When in doubt you may send an email to Purchasing@csulb.edu. 

All Information & Communication Technology is reviewed for compliance with accessibility and security standards. If you are purchasing technology on Staples and the items are blocked, you must first complete the E&IT checklist form.  Refer to the Purchase to Pay website under Technology for more information. 

No Furniture purchases on the Staples website. Please refer to the Purchase to Pay website under Furniture.

It is recommended that you save this site as a favorite for future reference.

• Staples Advantage Request Form (DocuSign)
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) (PDF)
• Electronic and Information Technology Checklist (E&IT Checklist)
• Accessibility Technology Initiative (ATI ) Review