Page 5 - July/Aug 2015 Vol. 33 No. 2
P. 5
TCAPWA Executive By Bo Mills & Lisa Piefer
Committee
Cooperatives: Positive
tennessee.apwa.net Purchasing Opportunities for
Municipalities
PRESIDENT: Ken Donaldson
Director of Public Works, Columbia In addition to the standard bidding process,
kdonaldson@columbiatn.com
(931) 388-8650 the City of Germantown in west Tennessee
PRESIDENT ELECT: Rodney Keeton
General Manager, Chattanooga Stringfellow has utilized State Wide Contract pricing to
rodney@stringfellow.bz
(423) 396-3135 purchase commonly used municipal vehicles
VICE-PRESIDENT: Manny Belen
Deputy City Engineer, Memphis and equipment. With the changes in state laws,
mannybelen@memphistn.gov
(901) 636-6933 the City has begun using nationally recognized
SECRETARY: Sharon Rollins
Consulting Program Manager, MTAS purchasing cooperatives to purchase these same
sharon.rollins@tennessee.edu
(865) 974-0411 products.
TREASURER: Kenny Wiggins
Public Works Director, Alcoa Like most cities, the Germantown Public
kwiggins@cityofalcoa-tn.gov
(865) 380-4800 Works Department recommends the purchase
WEST DIR: John Fox
Operations Assistant, Collierville of equipment and automobiles based on
jfox@ci.collierville.tn.us
(901) 457-2800 the age, mileage and maintenance cost for
MIDDLE DIR: Guy Patterson
Director of Public Services, Goodlettsville replacement during each budget cycle. The
gpatterson@cityofgoodlettsville.org
(615) 859-2740 standard bid process requires hours of research Bo Mills, Germantown Director of Public
Upper cumberland Dir: Tracy Meggs and specification writing to put together a bid Services, and Region III Director, APWA
Civil Engineer, Cookeville
tmeggs@cookeville-tn.org document. Then, the Procurement Department
(931) 520-5282
Upper EAST Dir: Ryan McReynolds completes the bid process including distributing, receiving and analyzing the bids.
Public Works Director, Kingsport
ryanmcreynolds@kingsporttn.gov Depending upon the type of equipment and specifications written, the department
(423) 229-9470
LOWER east dir: Justin Holland would be put in a position to have to select as the low bidder with a relatively
Deputy Administrator of PW, Chattanooga
holland_j@chattanooga.gov untested machine or manufacturer that meets the minimum specifications
(423) 757-5370
Council of chapters: Calvin D. Clifton required. In the end, this sometimes resulted in equipment and automobiles with
Mattern and Craig, Inc.
cdclifton@matternandcraig.com higher maintenance costs, more down time, poor availability for parts and lower
(423) 245-4970, cell (423) 431-9114
PAST PRESIDENT: Ronnie Hammonds returns for end of life in trade or resale value. Overall, while the cost was better on
Streets & Sanitation Mgr., Kingsport
ronniehammonds@kingsporttn.gov the front end, it sometimes costs more in the long term.
(423) 229-9397
CHAPTER ADMINISTRATOR: Mark Miller In 2013, while attending a national forum for purchasing professionals, the
Public Works Director, Pigeon Forge
mmiller@cityofpigeonforge.com City’s Procurement Director learned about the use of purchasing cooperatives.
(865) 429-7312
Tpw publisher: Klair Kimmey These cooperatives are used across the United States and offer the ability to
P.O. Box 52503, Knoxville, TN 37950
klair@tnpublicworks.com acquire all types of equipment, automobiles, and products. Every state government
(865) 288-0815
entity has a purchasing level at which public agencies are required to “go out to
bid.” These contracts can be leveraged by municipalities under the authority of
the cooperative’s enabling legislation and the state’s procurement laws. These
laws satisfy local/state bidding requirements, saving time in the bidding process.
However, the Procurement Department must still complete its due diligence in
ensuring that all legal requirements are met, including open advertisement and
competition for bidders, contract terms and meeting specifications.
Over the past two years the Germantown Public Works Department has acquired
several pieces of equipment, vehicles and products using these types of purchasing
cooperatives. As a Public Works Director, I am elated about how well it has worked
for us. We have been able to acquire equipment more quickly and at lower cost. The
biggest advantage is being able to standardize the equipment and choose it based on
the specifications, quality and life cycle value, saving time and creating efficiencies
for the Procurement staff, which has resulted in the reduction of bidding costs.
With a more targeted approach in cooperative buying, we are seeing a positive
effect on employee morale and efficiency. Our elected officials have also embraced
the power of these cooperatives and have supported these acquisitions. I encourage
you to explore the positive purchasing opportunities that cooperatives offer.
View online at tnpublicworks.com 5
Committee
Cooperatives: Positive
tennessee.apwa.net Purchasing Opportunities for
Municipalities
PRESIDENT: Ken Donaldson
Director of Public Works, Columbia In addition to the standard bidding process,
kdonaldson@columbiatn.com
(931) 388-8650 the City of Germantown in west Tennessee
PRESIDENT ELECT: Rodney Keeton
General Manager, Chattanooga Stringfellow has utilized State Wide Contract pricing to
rodney@stringfellow.bz
(423) 396-3135 purchase commonly used municipal vehicles
VICE-PRESIDENT: Manny Belen
Deputy City Engineer, Memphis and equipment. With the changes in state laws,
mannybelen@memphistn.gov
(901) 636-6933 the City has begun using nationally recognized
SECRETARY: Sharon Rollins
Consulting Program Manager, MTAS purchasing cooperatives to purchase these same
sharon.rollins@tennessee.edu
(865) 974-0411 products.
TREASURER: Kenny Wiggins
Public Works Director, Alcoa Like most cities, the Germantown Public
kwiggins@cityofalcoa-tn.gov
(865) 380-4800 Works Department recommends the purchase
WEST DIR: John Fox
Operations Assistant, Collierville of equipment and automobiles based on
jfox@ci.collierville.tn.us
(901) 457-2800 the age, mileage and maintenance cost for
MIDDLE DIR: Guy Patterson
Director of Public Services, Goodlettsville replacement during each budget cycle. The
gpatterson@cityofgoodlettsville.org
(615) 859-2740 standard bid process requires hours of research Bo Mills, Germantown Director of Public
Upper cumberland Dir: Tracy Meggs and specification writing to put together a bid Services, and Region III Director, APWA
Civil Engineer, Cookeville
tmeggs@cookeville-tn.org document. Then, the Procurement Department
(931) 520-5282
Upper EAST Dir: Ryan McReynolds completes the bid process including distributing, receiving and analyzing the bids.
Public Works Director, Kingsport
ryanmcreynolds@kingsporttn.gov Depending upon the type of equipment and specifications written, the department
(423) 229-9470
LOWER east dir: Justin Holland would be put in a position to have to select as the low bidder with a relatively
Deputy Administrator of PW, Chattanooga
holland_j@chattanooga.gov untested machine or manufacturer that meets the minimum specifications
(423) 757-5370
Council of chapters: Calvin D. Clifton required. In the end, this sometimes resulted in equipment and automobiles with
Mattern and Craig, Inc.
cdclifton@matternandcraig.com higher maintenance costs, more down time, poor availability for parts and lower
(423) 245-4970, cell (423) 431-9114
PAST PRESIDENT: Ronnie Hammonds returns for end of life in trade or resale value. Overall, while the cost was better on
Streets & Sanitation Mgr., Kingsport
ronniehammonds@kingsporttn.gov the front end, it sometimes costs more in the long term.
(423) 229-9397
CHAPTER ADMINISTRATOR: Mark Miller In 2013, while attending a national forum for purchasing professionals, the
Public Works Director, Pigeon Forge
mmiller@cityofpigeonforge.com City’s Procurement Director learned about the use of purchasing cooperatives.
(865) 429-7312
Tpw publisher: Klair Kimmey These cooperatives are used across the United States and offer the ability to
P.O. Box 52503, Knoxville, TN 37950
klair@tnpublicworks.com acquire all types of equipment, automobiles, and products. Every state government
(865) 288-0815
entity has a purchasing level at which public agencies are required to “go out to
bid.” These contracts can be leveraged by municipalities under the authority of
the cooperative’s enabling legislation and the state’s procurement laws. These
laws satisfy local/state bidding requirements, saving time in the bidding process.
However, the Procurement Department must still complete its due diligence in
ensuring that all legal requirements are met, including open advertisement and
competition for bidders, contract terms and meeting specifications.
Over the past two years the Germantown Public Works Department has acquired
several pieces of equipment, vehicles and products using these types of purchasing
cooperatives. As a Public Works Director, I am elated about how well it has worked
for us. We have been able to acquire equipment more quickly and at lower cost. The
biggest advantage is being able to standardize the equipment and choose it based on
the specifications, quality and life cycle value, saving time and creating efficiencies
for the Procurement staff, which has resulted in the reduction of bidding costs.
With a more targeted approach in cooperative buying, we are seeing a positive
effect on employee morale and efficiency. Our elected officials have also embraced
the power of these cooperatives and have supported these acquisitions. I encourage
you to explore the positive purchasing opportunities that cooperatives offer.
View online at tnpublicworks.com 5
