Authorised suppliers
When I worked for Salford Uni in the media school, we would also have to deal with all the IT department's fuck ups and hardware failures too as the management were completly inept (they once asked why we couldn't install Final Cut Pro onto Windows XP to save money on "those fancy Mac's").

One day the head of school's laptop power supply failed and he asked me if I could source another one. No problem, it was an older model so I went on E-bay after the usual channels failed to provide one. It cost £11, new. I send in a purchase request.... it was denied for the following reason 'you must use a university authorised supplier'. They don't have any says I.....but I was forced to ask them to source one anyway.

They did......from ebay. They marked up the price with.....and I kid you not:

Labour
Purchasing
Postage & Packing
Electrical saftey testing
Compatibility testing


The whole unit now cost £65. The IT manager then went on to buy 10 more from the same source..."for spares", even when I told him all the other models were decomissioned across the university 4 years ago.
( Bamboo Steamer, Sun 26 Feb 2012, 11:51, 2 replies)

Oh, you innocent.
Of course he bought 10 more for "spares". Ferraris don't grow on trees.
(all my scars face forward possesses 2.5% of a hyperalloy combat chassis, Sun 26 Feb 2012, 18:56, closed)

The electrical safety testing is to show they have complied with the Electricity at Work Regulations
although such regulations don't explicitly say you should do PAT testing, or whatever it's called now.
( M3rx likes the Asian ladies, Mon 27 Feb 2012, 8:51, closed)