Creating an Alliance Between Buyers and Suppliers New Partners The National Joint Powers Alliance (NJPA) is pleased to welcome NAPA AUTO PARTS and Capitol Supply Company into our family of nationally awarded vendor business partners. Members of NJPA will have access to a full line of Auto and Truck Parts and Accessories all awarded on one nationally leveraged and awarded contract. Members of NJPA will have access to these great benefits: Competitively awarded contracts Low contract prices Access to over 400,000 parts and accessories from hundreds of manufacturers Dedicated NJPA Customer Service Sales Team E-commerce (Internet ordering) streamlines procurement process Fast delivery and free ground shipping from 6,000 local stores within the U.S. For more info, contact: Gordy Thompson 218-894-5489 gordy.thompson@njpacoop.org Joining Forces MiCTA and NJPA A non-profit organization, founded in 1982, MiCTA primarily provides technology, e-learning, networking and telecom services. MiCTA has partnered with NJPA to reach a new and much wider membership with its solutions. Integrity in the Request for Proposal process is a common thread held by both organizations, who serve non-profit, government and education entities. For more info, contact: www.mictatech.org micta@mictatech.org, 888-964-2227 We really complement each other, pure and simple, says MiCTA President, John Sundstrom. We, in MiCTA, tend to have had, historically, a technology focus. We can bring that advantage to NJPA s membership base. Conversely, the facilities products and services focus of NJPA is something that our existing MiCTA members have a very strong need for. Together, we bring the most-sought-after products and services at unprecedented lower costs to greatly-expanded combined memberships. 3RD QUARTER 2008
$700,000 in Equipment with no RFP! The Augusta County Service Authority (ACSA) joined National Joint Powers Alliance (NJPA) in early April of 2008. NJPA was recommended to ACSA by the Augusta County School Board purchasing office. They have been a member for several years and were pleased with the pricing they were getting on purchases through NJPA cooperative procurement contracts. ACSA was chartered in March 1966 to centralize the provision of water and sewer service to residents of Augusta County, Virginia. ACSA maintains 12 separate water systems, comprised of over 370 miles of water mains and more than 1,900 fire hydrants. ACSA currently provides wastewater collection and conveyance through over 205 miles of mains and also provides treatment at four major and six smaller facilities. ACSA is the fiscal agent and manager of the Regional Solid Waste Landfill for the cities of Staunton and Waynesboro and the county of Augusta. The Regional Landfill had budgeted for the replacement of a Track Loader during the 2008 fiscal year and had received several quotes from suppliers as a part of the budget-setting process. In early April 2008, the landfill staff requested ACSA Purchasing staff to assist in the procurement of a new Track Loader in accordance with budget guidelines. Coincidentally, this was about the same time that ACSA had joined NJPA and was receiving both literature and contact information from NJPA. NJPA s 2008 Purchasing Catalog contained information on the cooperative procurement contract with Caterpillar for heavy equipment. Contact was made with Caterpillar to determine ACSA eligibility for the program and for information on receiving pricing for the equipment under consideration. Before the end of the day, Caterpillar had responded through its corporate offices and had placed ACSA in touch with local dealers that were participating in the NJPA program. One of the dealers (Carter Machinery, Fishersville, VA) had already provided ACSA with a quote the previous year during the budget process. Upon contact with Carter Machinery concerning the pricing under the NJPA ACSA s attorney was comfortable with the NJPA competitively procured and awarded contract, since it was monitored and evaluated through an NIGP Certifi ed Purchasing Offi cial... program, ACSA was delighted to find that the price was going to be less this year, than the year-old quote, even after adding some enhanced features. The original retail price from 2007 was just over $503,000 and the 2008 price was approximately $528,000. However, after the NJPA awarded contract pricing was applied, the net cost was just over $417,000! ACSA found the process to be very easy to use. Dan Buckley, their local Carter Account Manager made the process very user-friendly. ACSA s attorney was comfortable with the NJPA competitively procured and awarded contract, since it was monitored and evaluated through an NIGP Certified Purchasing Official, and meets the test of the Virginia Public Procurement Act Section 2.2-4304, Cooperative Procurement. ACSA noted the additional comfort of having received competitive quotes during the budgeting process for price comparison purposes. ACSA was able to obtain a very competitive contract price on a nationally recognized piece of heavy equipment that is purpose-built for the landfill environment, with very proactive involvement from its local Caterpillar dealer. Caterpillar has been able to duplicate the initial experience with a second piece of heavy equipment purchased for the ACSA construction operations department. The amount of time saved in being able to purchase from a nationally awarded, competitively bid contract has saved ACSA an average of 90 days of delay in duplicating that effort in-house. Speed and efficiency equal money saved for operations and procurement staff, not to mention the ability to take advantage of national contract pricing on everything from office supplies to bulldozers!
Tremco and Weatherproofi ng Technologies, Inc. Deliver Solution for the City of Shakopee, MN Tremco and its subsidiary, WTI are NJPA s exclusive, facility services contract partner. Together, Tremco and WTI deliver turnkey, facility asset management solutions, designed to reduce its members roofing and building envelope costs and improve the performance of their building components. Recently, Tremco s Craig Hulbert was able to deliver a unique facility asset management solution to the City of Shakopee, MN. With approximately 225,000 square feet of roofing, Hulbert discovered during the interview process that the city was interested in a solution that would define maintenance budgets to protect its building assets. Hulbert explained the TMA (TremcoManagedAssets ) methodology to the director of finance and with the City Council s approval, delivered a one-year TMA plan the first step in extending the life of the City of Shakopee s existing assets, thereby allowing a greater return on investment in the form of increased life cycles. Hulbert states This one-year TMA program touches the idea of knowing what they have, maintaining what they have and having a game plan for when they need to replace what they have. The three step process has long been the key to a successful building maintenance program. TMA incorporates all of these things that are typically offered traditionally under one big bow, with Tremco assuming the long term risk adds Tremco s Director of Education and Government Solutions, Dave Adams. Adams continues, Not all will want everything offered under the TMA program You have the ability to select the exact solutions you need, within budget. To date, the diagnostics have been completed on the City of Shakopee s buildings and Tremco/WTI is currently developing the database of all its facility assets. This program also guarantees leak response on all buildings during the term of the TMA. For the City of Shakopee, Tremco and WTI were able to deliver a customized solution that will help the City maximize the performance of its buildings and reduce life cycle costs all provided by NJPA s Tremco contract. Since the NJPA contract had already been solicited and competed, the City of Shakopee was able to acquire the services they wanted with the vendor they preferred. The procurement process for this project was very simple and did not require much time or effort due to the existence of the NJPA contract. Through the Tremco and NJPA partnership, schools, government and non-profit entities can save time and money every step of the way and realize maximum return on investment...just like the City of Shakopee. You have the ability to select the exact solutions you need, within budget. Atlas is a nationally experienced, approved vendor through NJPA. sarah.morehead@atlastrack.com www.atlastrack-tennis.com Tyler Technologies Signs the City of Arlington, TX Tyler Technologies, a NJPA contract-awarded software and services vendor for the public sector, has contracted with the City of Arlington to provide Tyler s municipal court case management solution. Under the agreement, the City of Arlington Municipal Court will deploy Tyler s INCODE Court Case Management, a highly customizable and integrated application for effective case management, document processing and cash/bond management. Arlington, which cited Tyler s exceptional reputation with existing clients as a factor in its decision, expects to improve operations by implementing Tyler s solution. The software agreement is valued at nearly $2.5 million and includes software licenses as well as professional services, maintenance and support. New Tracks at Lyon County Schools The Lyon County School District, in Nevada, has purchased three new running tracks from Atlas Track and Tennis. The three tracks will be installed at Dayton, Fernley and Silver Stag High Schools. Atlas has an established reputation with the district, through previously built tracks. Atlas was contacted by the Fernley booster group and ultimately secured the tracks for two additional facilities. The tracks will all be nearly complete by the end of 2008. The school district purchased these all-weather track surfaces through NJPA. Since the products have already been bid through the contract purchasing program, the members are not required to duplicate the bid process, nor the expense. Through NJPA, the school district was able to purchase the specific product they wanted, at a competitive price and have the track installed before the end of the year. Check Out Staples Soul Online Staples Soul reflects our commitment to corporate responsibility. It s a holistic approach to business that recognizes the close connection between our financial success and our desire to make a positive impact on our associates, communities and the planet by joining together the following areas: diversity, the environment, our community and ethics. It s how we do business that s Staples Soul. Learn more about Staples Soul in our latest corporate responsibility report. Link to: http://www.staplesbusinessadvantage.com/sba/docs/soul.asp
World s Most Ethical Companies The Ethisphere Institute, named Milliken & Company to Ethisphere s second-annual World s Most Ethical Companies list. Ethisphere, a think-tank dedicated to the research and promotion of profitable best practices in global governance, business ethics, compliance and corporate responsibility, revealed the award at the Ethisphere and Forbes joint conference, Driving Profit through Ethical Leadership, held on June 3, 2008. This recognition highlights one of the core philosophies of Milliken: a belief that doing the right things for the right reasons ultimately achieves the best results for our customers, communities, associates and shareholders. We are honored to have the ethical actions of all our associates recognized, comments Milliken & Company CEO, Joe Salley. Researchers and analysts reviewed several thousand companies in order to determine the finalists, which included a rigorous, multi-step evaluation process. The award committee is comprised of leading attorneys and government officials, professors and leaders who care about ethical and honest business practices. We applaud Milliken & Company as one of the companies honored this year, because they have developed impressive and meaningful ethical business practices, making them true standouts within their industries. said Alexander Brigham, executive director of Ethisphere Institute. They go well beyond legal minimums, opting instead to bring about innovative ideas that contribute to the public well being. By their actions, they are forcing their competitors to follow suit, or fall behind and truly embodying the notion that ethical business practices are more profitable in the long run. Laura Dwyer Coordinator of Risk Management laura.dwyer@njpacoop.org 218-894-5470 David Jessop Risk Management Pool, Manager david.jessop@njpacoop.org 218-894-5461 Welcome National Insurance Services NJPA announces a new, national partnership with an old friend: National Insurance Services (NIS). NJPA has been a partner with NIS for over 15 years in the State of Minnesota. NIS is a specialist in the public sector trusted by over 1,500 public sector organizations and over 550,000 insured individuals in 20 states one of the largest blocks of public sector business in the U.S. On behalf of NJPA, NIS recently completed a national RFP, resulting in an exciting opportunity for member groups to save 20 percent on their current Life and Disability Insurance, with rate guarantees up to five years. Access to this new program is being developed on the NJPA website (www.njpacoop.org) and will be available by mid-october. For immediate questions or more information, please call David Jessop or Laura Dwyer. Partner Profile: Federal Contracts Corp Federal Contracts Corp (FCC) is a privately held, Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, whose mission is to make governmental purchasing easier and provide manufacturers with the highest level of representation to the Governmental Industry and related markets. FCC was founded in 2003 by Clark & Tricia Ricke. During the first few years, the company worked to establish small business certifications, governmental contracts and generate relationships with quality manufacturers who have national parts and service capabilities. FCC s relationships with these manufacturers are strong and growing, expanding to meet the requirements of governmental clients. With such a broad spectrum of heavy equipment products now available, it can be overwhelming to an agency buyer. When asked how FCC plans to help agencies make full use of their purchasing power, Clark Ricke, VP and Director of Sales, stated This is an exciting challenge for FCC. We see the addition of heavy equipment to the NJPA catalog as an excellent opportunity to offer competitively priced heavy equipment on a national basis. However, understanding the opportunity is critical. Clark continued by saying We see it as a two part educational process both members and manufactures. The first focus is on existing members, who have been using NJPA for their supplies and technology. It will be a challenge for them to take an existing and familiar purchasing tool and increase its use within their agency. FCC has been very active over the first part of 2008, attending trade shows and working with the NJPA staff to reach existing members. When asked to explain the second focus of the education process, Clark was very enthusiastic about reaching new members using the trade shows. However, it may well be the consultation and training programs FCC is performing with local equipment dealers that makes the biggest impact. In some ways, the dealer training is even more important said Clark. Getting the word out to agencies who do not yet take advantage of NJPA can be performed quickly by a local sales person who understands the advantages of cooperative purchasing programs. Clark has created a unique training program for the dealer network. This training program focuses on understanding the governmental market and implementing strategies that will help the local agencies benefit from the NJPA buying solution. In addition to directly supporting the listed manufacturers, FCC also acts as an agent for Caterpillar, providing training and contract support for the Cat Dealer network. www.federalcontractscorp.com The primary principles of the company are: Tricia Ricke, President Clark Ricke, Vice President Allan Mayhugh, Contracts Managert Bill Gray, Western Sales
Where have we been? NACo Kansas City was our first summer stop. We shared a booth with Staples Business Advantage and had a great show over 600 attendees stopped by and introduced themselves while attempting our Price is Right style putt, for an opportunity to win a Wii gaming system. Dr. Tyrone Jones from North Carolina was the lucky winner! NIGP The National Institute of Government Purchasing conference was held in Charlotte this year, and we had vendor partners from Bobcat, Caterpillar, Tremco, CDW-G, SteelCase, Federal Contracts Corp., Neopost, BSN Sports, Milliken, Grainger and we shared a booth with both Staples and Sharp Electronics more putting around by the attendees, and a Wii gaming system for the lucky Judy Wilson of Oklahoma. Luckier still was Cheryl Pantermuehl of Texas who won the 37 Sharp Aquos television. A great show and a great showing! Next Year in St Louis Where are we going? 1 2 1 3 2 NCSFA The National Conference of State Fleet Administrators will be held in Long Beach on September 30th and October 1st. We will be sharing a booth with Capitol Supply and NAPA to show off our new Auto Parts contract! CONNECT 2008 An educational and networking conference for Tyler Technology clients, to be held in Dallas, October 22nd-25th. 4 3 4 ASBO International To be held this year November 7 10th in Denver and featuring business officials from all over the continent. We will have our 5-hole golf course surrounded by 18 of our finest vendor partners! Stop by and say Howdy! CCCA RE-Imagine- To be held December 8 11th in Orlando and featuring the latest programs and products for resident and off-site camps. They are expecting over 1,200 attendees! 200 First Street NE Staples, MN 56479 218-894-1930 888-894-1930 www.njpacoop.org