I don't have a research background, and I know not to feel good paying $60 for a pair of tweezers. What prevents procurement from buying from Amazon?
https://www.amazon.com/Tweezees-Precision-Stainless-Steel-Tw...
https://www.amazon.com/Tweezees-Precision-Stainless-Steel-Tw...
For example, a contract gives the scientific distributor the right to match a price [1]. Scientists need to make this request through their procurement office or to a sales rep. which takes a couple of days and additional paperwork to complete. These extra steps create enough friction that researchers will often by through contracted providers despite them being more expensive.
[1] examples: https://procurement.fsu.edu/vendors/VWR https://www.dfa.cornell.edu/procurement/news/improved-prefer...