A Procurement Guide to Campus Supplies: Tape, Signage & Safety Marking for Universities

University campuses are effectively small communities, with facilities teams, events departments, student services, maintenance teams and contractors all relying on a steady supply of everyday products.

Tape, signage and safety marking may not be the most visible part of campus procurement, but they play an important role in keeping buildings, events and shared spaces organised.

For procurement teams, the challenge is often less about finding one product and more about sourcing the right range consistently.

What supplies do university campuses actually need?

Requirements can vary significantly between departments.

Facilities and maintenance

Facilities teams may need products for:

• Floor marking

• Temporary repairs

• Surface protection

• Safety demarcation

• Hazard identification

• General maintenance

• Signage

Floor marking tape can be used to identify areas, routes and designated spaces, while barrier tape can provide temporary demarcation where access needs to be restricted. Directa supplies a range of floor marking and barrier tapes for different applications.

Events and student activities

Universities regularly host events, exhibitions, open days, conferences and student activities.

These environments can require temporary fixing, floor marking, signage and surface protection, often with products that can be applied and removed quickly.

Double-sided tapes, for example, are available in a variety of grades for mounting, displays, exhibitions and other fixing applications. 

Student services and shared spaces

Signage and temporary markings can also be useful across reception areas, communal spaces, offices and student facilities.

Having commonly required products readily available can reduce the need for individual departments to source small quantities independently.

Why standardisation matters

For larger organisations, standardising frequently purchased consumables can simplify procurement.

Instead of several departments purchasing similar products from different suppliers, a centralised approach can help create:

• Consistent product specifications

• Easier reordering

• Fewer suppliers to manage

• Better visibility of spending

• More predictable stock requirements

It can also make it easier for facilities teams to know which product to use for a particular application.

Buying in volume

University procurement often involves larger quantities or repeat orders rather than one-off purchases.

For frequently used consumables, it is worth looking beyond the individual unit price.

Consider:
Pack quantities
How many units are supplied and how frequently will the department use them?

Bulk pricing
Does the supplier offer volume-based pricing?

Availability
Can the products be supplied consistently when they're needed?

Product range
Can one supplier cover multiple requirements?

Account arrangements
Are there suitable purchasing and account options for your organisation?

Consider the whole campus

One of the biggest benefits of taking a campus-wide approach is being able to identify recurring requirements across departments.

A facilities team might regularly need floor marking tape, while events teams require double-sided tape and surface protection. Maintenance teams may need general-purpose tapes, while health and safety teams require barrier tape and safety signage.

Rather than treating these as completely separate purchases, procurement teams can look at the wider requirement and establish where standardisation makes sense.

Choosing a supplier

A supplier supporting a university should be able to accommodate different departments and applications without making every purchase a completely separate process.

The ideal product range will depend on the individual campus, but having access to industrial tapes, safety products, floor marking and related workplace essentials can simplify sourcing.

Directa supplies a broad range of industrial products including tapes, safety products and workplace essentials for businesses and organisations across the UK. 

Building a more efficient procurement process

The most effective approach is often to start with the products that are purchased most frequently.

Identify the common requirements across facilities, events, maintenance and other departments, then consider which products can be standardised and purchased through an agreed supplier.

This can help create a more consistent approach to everyday campus supplies while making repeat purchasing easier for the teams using them.

Looking for campus supplies for your university? Explore Directa's range of industrial tapes, safety products and workplace essentials: https://directa.co.uk/