New Legislation Cooperative Purchasing and U.S. Communities Contracts Available Through U.S. Communities ecommerce Questions?
August 1, 2012 Senate Bill 5525 signed by Governor Cuomo State of New York General Municipal Law Article 5A (Public Contracts) Section 103; Subdivision 16
Senate Bill 5525 provides local contracting units immediate access to cooperative procurement contracts. This permits all contracting units within New York to utilize the U.S. Communities program for cooperative purchasing. Eligible contracting units include the following: Any officer, board or agency of a county, political subdivision or of any district therein authorized to make purchases of apparatus, materials, equipment or supplies, or to contract for services related to the installation, maintenance or repair of apparatus, materials, equipment and supplies.
Similar to purchasing off of (piggybacking) a NY State Contract; does not require a full public solicitation by each agency Operates on the same principles as local and regional cooperatives National structure for public agencies to aggregate collective purchasing power Improves the overall effectiveness of the purchasing processes Nonprofit Organization
The U.S. Communities program delivers procurement tools to help transform government and improve operating results for public agencies nationwide.
Integrity of Procurement Standards Founded and owned by Five Distinguished Sponsors Oversight from National Advisory Board of Purchasing Professionals Strict Contract Compliance and Supplier Commitments Annual Contract Audits and Benchmarking Innovative Resources: Online Shopping Portal, Educational Webinars and Trainings
Public Benefit & Purpose Founders-Founded, owned and governed by Association of School Business Officials International, National Association of Counties, National Institute of Governmental Purchasing, National League of Cities, United States Conference of Mayors ( Associations ) for the benefit of Public Agencies Organization-Non profit partnership of associations dedicated to establishing options, solutions and opportunities for public agencies to save time and money Principles-Stringent Supplier commitments and standards to ensure public agencies interests are served
Professional Oversight Procurement-Advisory Board of well-respected Public Procurement Professionals to ensure responsible and ethical best practices Administration-Dedicated team of field and administrative professionals to ensure Supplier performance and public agency benefit Accountability and Transparency Solicitations-Awards by well recognized Lead Public Agencies to ensure open and competitive solicitation process Integrity-Supplier audits and verification to ensure pricing integrity and public agency benefit
Solutions Focus on providing full solutions to public agencies Contracts include not only the ability to purchase products, but the services accompanying them. Solutions categories include: Facilities Outdoor/Recreation School Emergency Preparedness & Recovery Information Technology Fleet Cloud Public Safety/1 st Responder Office and Classroom Food Staffing Uniforms/Apparel Automotive/Heavy Equipment
Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO) National Association of Counties (NACo) National Institute of Governmental Purchasing (NIGP) National League of Cities (NLC) United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) State Sponsors: Over 90 State Sponsors Nationally
City of Kansas City, MO Cobb County Denver Public Schools Fresno Unified School District City and County of Denver Emory University Fairfax County Great Valley School District Harford County Public Schools, MD Auburn University Hennepin County Hillsborough School District City of Houston City of Los Angeles Los Angeles County Maricopa County Miami-Dade County North Carolina State University Salem Keizer School District City of San Antonio San Diego Unified School District City of Seattle Advisory Board Program Purchased Over $120 Million in 2011
Senate Bill 5525 provides local contracting units immediate access to cooperative procurement contracts. This permits all contracting units within New York to utilize the U.S. Communities program for cooperative purchasing. Eligible contracting units include the following: Any officer, board or agency of a county, political subdivision or of any district therein authorized to make purchases of apparatus, materials, equipment or supplies, or to contract for services related to the installation, maintenance or repair of apparatus, materials, equipment and supplies Through the use of a contract let by the United States of America or any agency thereof, any state or any other county or political subdivision or district therein if such contract was let in a manner that constitutes competitive bidding consistent with state law and made available for use by other governmental entities. **Note that it does not allow for a contract that is let or awarded by a nonprofit
Solicitations are run by a Lead Public Agency (LPA) selected from the Advisory Board The RFP or ITB is issued by the LPA and posted online A national evaluation team is comprised of public procurement officials from 3 to 5 Advisory Board Agencies Evaluation is performed and award is made ONLY by LPA Contracts are held and managed from day to day by LPA All RFP/ITB and Contract documents are available on www.uscommunities.org LPA s are available for questions about solicitation
Cities Counties Special Districts K-12 (Public or Private) Universities and Colleges (Public or Private) Nonprofit Organizations State Agencies
Over $1.7 Billion Cumulative Savings
2011 Average Report Daily Weekly Monthly Quarterly 2011 Total 14 100 434 1,738 5,213 49,722
250 200 150 221 213 215 175 100 50 0 Cities K 12 Counties Higher Ed Cities 88% K 12 85% Counties 86% Higher Ed 70%
Facilities Solutions Information Technology Cloud
Public Safety/1 st Responder Outdoor Recreation Office and Classroom
Emergency Preparedness & Recovery Food Uniforms/Apparel Staffing
School Automotive/ Heavy Equipment Fleet
Marketplace Benefits Free to U.S. Communities participants Single source login for access to multiple suppliers Immediate visibility into products and pricing Ability to make purchases with p-card or credit card Provides comprehensive reporting Eliminates paper entirely your green procurement solution Go to www.uscommunities.org and click Shop Now!
Program, register online @ www.uscommunities.org Click on Register Complete registration information requested Registration is one time Can register more than one dept. and buyer Registration enables agency to use program and to be automatically notified of new contracts
Email: Doug Looney, dlooney@uscommunities.org Website: www.uscommunities.org Register Online Authorizing Legal Statutes Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Sheet Documentation: Original Solicitation and Contract References: Advisory Board Members, State Sponsors Supplier Links, Product Information & Contact Information Participant Login Page
www.uscommunities.org Doug Looney Program Manager (314) 210-8058 dlooney@uscommunities.org