Drafter
Clerk 08/29/2002
Title
A MOTION requesting the King County executive to participate in the U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance.
Body
WHEREAS, King County's total 2002 budget is $2.9 billion, and
WHEREAS, the county's 2002 current expense (CX) fund budget is $493 million, and
WHEREAS, the CX fund is experiencing a fiscal shortfall that is the result of declining revenue growth and increasing governmental expenses, and
WHEREAS, King County is aggressively reviewing CX expenditures for reductions, and
WHEREAS, King County reduced the CX fund budget by $41 million in 2002 and faces continuing current expense fund deficits of $50 million for 2003 and additional reductions of $30 million in 2004 and another $30 million in 2005, for a total of $151 million over four years, and
WHEREAS, the current expense fund budget for purchase of supplies totals nearly $9 million annually and the county is budgeted to spend $90 million on supplies purchases in total, supporting the wide range of regional and local services provided by the county, and
WHEREAS, the council and the executive consistently search for ways in which to provide services at the lowest possible cost, and
WHEREAS, U.S. Communities is a nonprofit agency that assists public agencies in reducing the cost of purchased goods through pooling the purchasing power of public agencies nationwide through a competitive bidding process, and
WHEREAS, the program now known as the U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance was founded in 1991 and went national in 1996, and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Communities mission statement is "Public Purchasers Saving You Money," and
WHEREAS, U.S. Communities is sponsored by the National Association of Counties, the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing, the National League of Cities and the United States Conference of Mayors, and
WHEREAS, U.S. Communities has a professional public purchasing advisory board consisting of public purchasing professionals from large public jurisdictions across the country, including the city of Seattle, and
WHEREAS, over five thousand public agencies in forty-eight states currently participate in the U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance, and
WHEREAS, there is no cost to participate in U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance, and
WHEREAS, all U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance public agency contracts are nonexclusive, allowing participating agencies to purchase goods and services from other sources, and
WHEREAS, all U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance public agency contracts include language allowing any government agency to "piggyback" on the contract, and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance offers Internet purchasing and electronic data interface, thereby improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the purchasing process, and,
WHEREAS, advocacy by U.S. Communities and the participation of public agencies in the U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance reinforces the purchasing power of local governments nationwide, and
WHEREAS, chapter 39.34 RCW establishes the Interlocal Cooperation Act allowing local jurisdictions in the state of Washington to participate in cooperative purchasing programs such as that offered by U.S. Communities, and
WHEREAS, vendors participating in the U.S. Communities program make a commitment that U.S. Communities's pricing is the lowest available pricing (net to buyer) and that, if a local agency is eligible for lower pricing through a state, regional, or local contract, the vendor will match the pricing under the U.S. Communities program, and
WHEREAS, the types of goods available through the U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance include office supplies, industrial supplies, office furniture, computers, telecommunications equipment, electrical and data communications equiment, janitorial supplies, copy machines, wireless products and services and automotive supplies, and
WHEREAS, contracts through the U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance offer discounts of up to eighty percent off of list prices for office supplies, forty-five percent off of list prices for office furniture and fifteen percent off of most local contracts for computers, and
WHEREAS, the city of Seattle, as a participant in the cooperative purchasing program and a U.S. Communities Advisory Board member, has saved significant amounts in both administrative and supplies costs through the program;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT MOVED by the Council of King County:
The executive is requested to immediately register for participation in the U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance and to purchase goods through this program whenever cost-savings can be achieved and the purchase is consistent with other county purchasing policies. The executive is also requested to analyze the cost-savings potential of any contracts available through Educational Service Districts and to utilize these contracts if they are cost-effective and consistent with county purchasing policies. The executive is further requested to report back to the council by February 1, 2003, with
an update of the county's participation in these programs, including an estimate of the amount saved through participation in these programs.