JIM KEENAN

DEPARTMENTAL BUYER
SPACE SCIENCES LABORATORY, UC BERKELEY

Jim Keenan’s 20 years of experience as a buyer for the Space Sciences Lab has afforded him the luxury of trust from his customers. “They’ve come to understand, ‘he knows something,’ and it’s a good idea to get him involved early,” said Keenan.

One of the most rewarding purchases for Keenan helped cement that bond between buyer and client. When the lab director wanted to buy a $3.3 million, 11-meter radio antenna and had a sole source, Keenan politely suggested they get bids from other companies. Although reluctant, the director agreed and several companies were interested in winning the bid.

“We did a sort of dog and pony show where we allowed vendors to come in and show their instruments to supplement their bid,” said Keenan. “We had four or five of them come here and one company’s bid was $2.2 million and we really liked their instrument.”

The project manager checked and double checked the antenna and was surprised how good it fit technically. Saving more than $1.1 million didn’t hurt either.

“We were able to negotiate them down further in cost and the instrument was installed in 2000,” said Keenan. “They came away with an instrument that was better than what they originally wanted and less expensive than they wanted by a lot.”

In another instance, Keenan proved that thinking outside the box – the box being the average shipping container – works, even if it’s a little creepy. It all started when the lab needed to ship an instrument prototype for use on spacecraft to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

The right “box” turned out to be a coffin. Coffins are lined with copper so it wouldn’t magnetize anything and it was the right size. “It was the perfect way to ship it,” said Keenan. “NASA thought it was a little bit morbid and asked us not to ship things like this any more, but it was the right material and these are all things that really need to be considered.”

And, where does one purchase a coffin? Costco, of course.

While these kinds of purchases might seem outside the normal buying realm, Keenan believes once you know your supply base, all buyers have similar roles.

“I’m still chasing down something that’s back-ordered,” he said. “I’m still calling a vendor and asking where are my parts? I’m still doing the stuff that other buyers are doing with other commodities and that takes up a good deal of our time. We’ve got a pretty good group up here and I think the lab is really appreciative of what we bring to the table.”