California Counties Benefit From Free Online Procurement Solution: Public Purchase
Riverside, Sacramento, and San Joaquin Counties have experienced an increase in bid competitiveness and procurement management efficiency while saving taxpayer dollars by using The Public Group's free online
procurement solution, Public Purchase. From posting bids to communicating with vendors to tabulating results, Public Purchase has streamlined the procurement process for the agencies, whether the item needed is
banknote paper, aggregate material, or demolition services.
Riverside County recently needed banknote paper for its vital records department. By using Public Purchase, the County was able to pre-qualify vendors, issue addenda automatically, and monitor vendor interest
throughout the process. Riverside County also utilized The Public Group's research services to identify qualified vendors that had not responded to previous RFP's from Riverside County and invite them to bid.
This ensured that a good-sized pool of qualified vendors responded, resulting in a cost reduction from the previous contract.
San Joaquin County released a bid for aggregate material and was able to easily compare the bids for multiple line items and award the bid using to the tabulation features of Public Purchase. Typically, buyers
create spreadsheets or print up quotes and compare the bids on paper. Public Purchase automatically tabulates the bids and allows buyers to compare the bids based on overall cost or per line item, which can save
money and ensure that the lowest bidder of a particular material is awarded the contract. Since the comparisons can be easily viewed online, less paper and paper storage is required.
Sacramento County just recently registered with Public Purchase after using an in-house system to post bids. The cost savings of not having to print and mail out RFP's, addenda and bid results will have a significant
impact on the department's budget. Vendor management will also be more more efficient as Sacramento County takes advantage of Public Vendor, another free solution from TPG. Agency buyers will easily be able to
identify and contact vendors for specific upcoming bids, and keep track of necessary licenses, insurance and certification information.
About Public Purchase
Public Purchase is an online procurement solution created by The Public Group. From creation of bid templates to bid creation and bid/vendor management, this full-featured solution saves agency buyers time and money.
Buyers can create RFP's, basic bids, line-item bids, reverse auctions, RFQ's, or use the service as a bid notification tool. All required information, such as bid documents, addenda, drawings, and terms & conditions,
can be posted to the website for vendors to download, and questions can be asked and answered through Public Purchase. Bid bonds, plan holders lists and contractors lists can be accommodated by Public Purchase as well.
In the past, the biggest barrier to entry for agencies and vendors to start using an online procurement service was cost. Public Purchase is free to both agencies and vendors, and in fact can save both agencies and
vendors money.
Arizona is targeting buyers
Shopping For Surplus Easier For Arizona Buyers as Public Surplus Expands Its Presence In Arizona.
Three new government agencies - the City of Phoenix, the City of Tempe and Gilbert ISD - entered into contracts with online auction service provider Public Surplus over the past six weeks, joining about 80 other Arizona agencies who regularly hold online auctions through Public Surplus. Community access to surplus items will be greatly increased as a generation of people accustomed to shopping online are able browse and place bids online for surplus items ranging from flat screen monitors and electronics to cars, trucks and bicycles. As a result, the agencies can expect to see an increase in net revenue of 15% - 200% as compared to revenue generated through a live auction.
"The traditional live-auction model leaves out anyone who doesn't have time to browse and inspect items on a Thursday or Friday and then spend several hours on a Saturday waiting or the items to come up for bid." Said Contact, Title for Public Surplus. "We always encourage buyers to inspect items in person before placing a bid, but browsing and bidding can be done online from the comfort of home, 24/7. Teachers and other school districts will be particularly happy to have Gilbert ISD on board, as schools typically post school items that have not yet reached the end of their useful life-cycle.
Agencies can expect to see a 50% increase in the number of bids placed. "What we find is that people who would never set foot on an on-site surplus auction are happy to browse and shop online. To them, it's just like Ebay or Shopgoodwill.com." commented last name "The big difference is that the proceeds benefit them as a taxpayer, and it is a true auction experience - if a bid is placed within 3 minutes of the end time, the end time automatically extends for 3 more minutes. There is no auction sniping."
Auction items are not limited to city vehicles, and lost and found. Items recently posted by Arizona agencies included a lot 10 glass and crystal vases and bowls, kitchen items, lawn equipment, sewing machines, sporting goods, drafting tables, small kitchen appliances, musical instruments and vacuum cleaners. "The wide variety of roles that these agencies play in our communities result in everyday items being procured, used and then transitioning to surplus." said last name.
"We are excited to be expanding our presence in Arizona." Stated Eric Heaps, Vice-President of Operations for Public Surplus. "In addition to bringing a valuable service to our agency partners, local individuals looking for a good deal or a "diamond in the rough" will benefit from increased access to the government surplus in their own backyard. Arizona has been very welcoming to us and we look forward to adding even more agencies to our growing list of partners in Arizona."
About Public Surplus
Public Surplus is the leading service provider in the online auction market for small, medium and large state and local government agencies and not-for-profits. The company offers free agency and buyer registration, free 7-year audit trail, free item preparation training, free reporting, and free agency and buyer support via email, online chat or phone. Additional services include auction marketing and payment collection. Secure, offsite, redundant servers host www.publicpurchase.com and auction traffic and integrity is protected by method of security. Public Surplus's target clients are state and local government agencies and not-for-profits that typically generate $10,000 or more annually in surplus revenue. Target buyers are individuals, companies, resellers, and other agencies from North and South America. Buyers can register at www.publicpurchase.com Auction payment methods vary by Agency. Public Surplus was founded in 2000. Based in Provo, UT with 6 offices throughout the US, Public Surplus has approximately 2,000 clients nationwide as of August, 2010. For more information about Public Surplus and our services, visit www.publicsurplus.com.
Media Contact:
Eric Heaps
Vice President of Operations
erich@thepublicgroup.com
801-932-7000