What is the Vendor Code of Conduct?
The Vendor Code of Conduct was developed in Spring 2004 upon the recommendation of a task force composed of faculty, staff and students. In response to some complaints about the business practices of a small number of University vendors, the task force was appointed to review U-M’s purchasing practices and recommend policies that would help encourage the University to do business with organizations that most closely share its ethical values. The Vendor Code of Conduct states, “The ideal University-vendor relationship is in the nature of a partnership, seeking mutually agreeable and important goals. Recognizing our mutual interdependence, it is in the best interest of the University to find a resolution when responding to charges or questions about a vendor’s compliance with the provisions of the Code.” The University’s Vendor Code of Conduct can be found on the web at http://www.umich.edu/%7Epurch/news/code.pdf (.pdf). The complete task force report is posted at http://www.umich.edu/pr
