In an economic climate where county governments are working with limited funding, it is important to examine all avenues for where expenses can be cut.  The U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance  has awarded a new office supplies contract to Independent Stationers Inc.  offering program participants the opportunity to purchase through community based businesses with lower prices than previously available under the Office Depot contract. The contract is fixed-price to facilitate transparency and public agency pricing audits. World class eCommerce capabilities including enterprise resource planning (ERP) integration, electronic billing and payment options, national distribution, next day delivery and no minimum order limits are included.

U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance is a government purchasing cooperative co-founded and sponsored by the National Association of Counties (NACo), The National League of Cities (NLC), The Association of School Business Officials, International (ASBO), The National Institute of Governmental Purchasing (NIGP) and the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM).   U.S. Communities is able to offer reduce cost of goods and services by aggregating the purchasing power of public agencies nationwide, providing world class procurement resources and solutions to local and state government agencies, school districts, higher education, and nonprofits. U.S. Communities’ rigorous supplier commitments ensure our supplier partner’s offer their best supplier government pricing. Third party audits are performed on all contracts and benchmarking analyses ensure ongoing value. Most importantly, U.S. Communities adheres to a stringent competitive selection process for all contracts offered through the program. Participants have access to a broad line of competitively solicited contracts with best in class national suppliers. Total aggregate purchases in 2009 exceeded $1.4 billion, with $214 million in estimated savings to public agencies that year alone.

Maryland Counties currently participating in U.S. Communities program include:

• Baltimore County Public Schools
• Calvert County Government
• Calvert County Public Schools
• Carroll County
• Harford County Public Schools
• Queen Anne’s County Board of Education
• Talbot County Public Schools

Program Overview
Independent Stationers FAQ

For additional information please contact Phil Letendre, U.S. Communities Program Manager pletendre@uscommunities.org.