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US Communities Provides Standards and Transparency in Public Procurement
By Marc Shapiro
When it comes to public procurement, joining a cooperative purchasing program is an established best practice for cities and towns. But not all purchasing cooperatives are equal
and U.S. Communities, created by public agencies for public agencies, offers more. In addition, U.S. Communities is
the only purchasing cooperative sponsored by NLC and four other national organizations, along with more than 25 state municipal leagues.
What sets U.S. Communities apart from other public purchasing co-ops is that it is structured in a way that provides maximum transparency and oversight. And recently, U.S. Communities
has developed standards and a simple checklist to enable cities to determine if the cooperative contract under consideration utilizes the processes, methods and structure to provide
the best value and protection.
The Cooperative Procurement Standards address transparency, oversight
and accountability, and public agency protection and supplier contract compliance.
A Cooperative Procurement Standards Checklist is included. The
Legal Due Diligence Standards review the steps
to protect the public agency prior to accessing a cooperative contract.
The mission of U.S. Communities is to provide participating agencies access to competitively solicited contracts with national suppliers offering a broad line of top-quality products
and services. Each supplier commits to providing their most competitive government pricing to all participating agencies. Regularly scheduled internal and third-party audits ensure
compliance with contract pricing, terms and conditions, while benchmarking analyses evaluate the overall value. Contracts are also reviewed quarterly by the Lead Public Agency, and
all documents pertaining to contract solicitations are publicly posted on the U.S. Communities website for complete transparency.
Today more than 65,000 registered public agencies utilize U.S. Communities government cooperative contracts to purchase more than $1 billion in products and services annually. The
continuing rapid growth of participation by cities and towns and other public agencies is fueled by the program's proven track record of delivering excellence in procurement
solutions. U.S. Communities contracts have delivered more than $1.5 billion in savings to public agencies since it was established.
Yet, importantly, U.S. Communities goes beyond providing outstanding contracts. Together with supplier partners, U.S. Communities is committed to offering comprehensive business
solutions that help agencies maximize cost control while also improving operational efficiencies and performance. U.S. Communities continually works with key government purchasing
officials from across the United States to identify solutions gaps so that these needs may be addressed through U.S. Communities program contracts. U.S. Communities takes great
pride in not only providing resources, but also in serving as a resource, with innovative offerings including an online shopping portal, educational webinars and trainings, and
a green purchasing program.
For more information, watch a video on US Communities
or click here.
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League of Arizona Cities and Towns
1820 W. Washington St.
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Phone: 602-258-5786
Fax: 602-253-3874
http://www.azleague.org
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