Account Information

Opening an Account

Any person who wishes to make purchases at the Cell Center Stockroom must have an active PennKey as well as permission to spend on at least one fund. Permission to spend on funds is granted by a Business Administrator through a program called CAMS. Business Administrators not working for UPenn do not have access to CAMS. For external funds or spenders to be added contact Jeffrey Griffin, Business Manager for the Department of Genetics at the University of Pennsylvania.

For All Internal Penn Funds

Your Business Administrator should be able to add you to whatever funds you need access to in CAMS. If you are unsure about what funds you should have access to, please contact your PI or business office. For more information about CAMS, please see this PDF.

If you have a brand new fund or grant that has just been awarded, you may need to contact the Office of Research Services to have it set up.

If you are a UPenn Business Administrator and have questions about CAMS, please see this PDF.

Internal vs External Funds

Even if you work for the University of Pennsylvania, you may be spending on an external fund. A UPenn fund number will appear in our system in the format “123-4567-8-901234-5678-9012-3456”. If your fund does not appear in that format, it is an external fund, and you should follow the procedures below for any changes needed.

For External Accounts

To request a PennKey if you do not already have one, please e-mail Jeffrey Griffin. Include your full name (first, middle, and last name) and date of birth. Jeffrey Griffin’s contact information is below. For more information about PennKey, please visit PennKey Support.

Please use this form when making requests to set up external funds and spenders.

Once you have a PennKey, to have a new external fund set up or to be added as a spender to an existing external fund please contact: griffinj@upenn.edu

Jeffrey Griffin
500 Clinical Research Building
415 Curie Blvd
Philadelphia, PA 19104
215.898.5173

Our system updates overnight, so changes made to accounts will be available the following day.

Missing Funds

If you were recently an active spender on an external fund which is no longer visible to you, your fund has probably expired in our system. Please contact Jeffrey Griffin with a new end date for the fund, or to establish a new fund. If it is a UPenn fund that is no longer visible, please contact your BA.

Expired PennKey

If you cannot log into the ordering system at all, it is possible your PennKey has expired. It can be renewed by contacting medhelps@pennmedicine.upenn.edu. Include your PennKey/PennID and reason for renewal in your e-mail.

Ordering Information

Placing an Order

Orders can be placed 24 hours a day through our online web portal. Over 1000 unique catalog numbers are kept in stock in our offices. Any other item in our system is a Special Order and ordered from a supplier on demand. All orders can be placed for pickup at the Cell Center Stockroom, or for delivery to buildings on one of our three delivery routes as described below. Special order items are ordered at 2PM each day. For details on the availability of an item, please contact the Cell Center Stockroom.

If there are items or suppliers that you regularly use that we do not currently stock, please notify us. We will gladly consider such additions.

Stocked Manufacturers

Picking Up an Order

The stockroom is open for pick-ups from 9AM to 5PM, Monday to Friday. The Stockroom is closed for UPenn recognized holidays but has limited hours during the winter holiday break. Please remember that the Stockroom is closed for lunch between 1:00 PM and 2:15 PM every day.

Please double-check your order before leaving the Stockroom to make sure that it is complete and correct. We suggest that you keep the receipt for your records. Occasionally, items on your receipt may be marked “o/s” (temporarily out of stock) or “b/o” (backordered by the vendor). Out of stock and backordered items are kept on file in the office and filled as soon as the items become available.

Order Delivery

We currently offer free delivery for 33 buildings across Penn Campus. For deliveries scheduled in the morning, in stock orders placed before 9:00 AM, will be delivered the same day. For afternoon deliveries, in stock orders placed before 1:00 PM will be delivered the same day.

Cancelations and Returns

Returning or canceling the order of a stock item is a simple process. If you have received the item, simply return it to the Cell Center Stockroom along with the paperwork. Only sealed items that have been kept at the correct temperature are accepted for return. If you have not yet received the item, simply contact the Cell Center Stockroom to arrange a cancelation.

Returning or canceling a special order is more complicated. If the order has not yet been shipped by the supplier, then a cancelation can usually be handled by a phone call or e-mail to the Cell Center Stockroom. If the item has already been shipped, then you will need to contact the supplier directly to arrange a return. The Cell Center Stockroom does not cover any restock fees or shipping costs associated with the return of a special order. Please contact the Cell Center Stockroom for the PO number your item was ordered under from the supplier. Once the supplier has accepted a return you will need to forward us the credit memo the supplier sends to have the charge removed from your account.

Expired Items

Cell Center Stockroom policy is to only distribute items with at least one month before the expiration date, but accidents do happen. If you have received an item that has expired or is about to expire, please contact the Cell Center Stockroom with your order information.