U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance Helps Local Government Agencies SAVE MONEY

Cooperative purchasing is one of the easiest ways that counties, cities and school districts can do more with less. By pooling the collective purchasing power local governments throughout the United States, U.S. Communities can help these jurisdictions procure the goods and services they commonly use at tremendously discounted prices. This frees up purchasing staff to focus on larger, unique and more complicated bids.

In 1999, recognizing the need for a broader offering for local governments that still met state procurement laws across the country, the California State Association of Counties and the League of California Cities collaborated with the National Association of Counties (NACo), the National League of Cities (NLC), the Association of School Business Officials (ASBO), the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing (NIGP) and the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) to establish the U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance.

Borne out of a need to have large-scale commodities contracts to offer local and state agencies on a national basis, U.S. Communities was designed to provide a program that was completely voluntary, had no minimum purchase requirements, and had no cost to participate. The goal was to make it accessible to as many of nearly 90,000 units of local and state governments in the United States. Each contract has been competitively bid by a local government entity and each supplier has committed to offer their most competitive pricing to all participating agencies.

Currently over 36,000 state and local governmental agencies as well as nonprofit entities utilize the U.S. Communities program to purchase items such as technology products, auto supplies, office furniture, office supplies and facility maintenance and repair supplies. With 19 contracts available there is something of value to virtually every agency in the country. Since its inception, the program has saved local governments an estimated $1 billion.

Ensuring that the program meets the highest procurement standards, the U.S. Communities program is monitored by an Advisory Board of purchasing professionals representing local, state, school and universities from across the country. Given the success of the program in the United States, U.S. Communities has launched Canadian Communities to offer the same benefits to Canadian state and local governments.

Some public agencies have concerns about how they can use the program and still be in compliance with local laws or policy directives they have regarding utilization of local businesses and/or requirements for the use of minority, women-owned, veteran-owned, and small businesses. U.S. Communities is extremely sensitive to such policies and addresses these concerns by requiring no minimum spend and working with suppliers to identify their suppliers and subcontractors who may meet local requirements.

Cooperative purchasing is just one tool in the procurement officials “tool box”. However having one dedicated to helping local and state governments stretch their limited dollars makes U.S. Communities an extremely valuable resource. For additional information on U.S. Communities visit www.uscommunities.org or contact CSAC Finance Corporation Program Manager Laura Labanieh at 916.327.7500 x536 or llabanieh@counties.org.






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