By registering with MASA’s partner, the U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance, districts can piggyback on competitively bid contracts and gain access to thousands of quality products and services they need every day.
1. How does U.S. Communities save me time and money?
2. How do I start?
3. What are the benefits to my district?
4. Which vendors participate?
5. U.S. Communities FAQ
1. Board Resolution Documents
A public agency staff report document approving use of U.S. Communities program.
2. MASB sample policy authorizing cooperative purchasing agreements.
MASA, along with the Michigan School Business Officials (MSBO) and Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB), chose U.S. Communities as our partner because of its long history of working with school districts, saving thousands of districts nationwide time and money.
Plus, U.S. Communities Going Green Program is the one-stop source for public agency access to a broad line of environmentally certified products and services. From Energy Star to EcoLogo to Green Seal, U.S. Communities Going Green has identified here those items in its contracts that meet third-party environmental certification standards to help public agencies meet their responsible procurement needs.
How does U.S. Communities save me time and money?
All U.S. Communities contracts are competitively solicited by entity lead public agency, which allows our school districts to piggyback on the contracts. We have verified with legal counsel that this type of arrangement is permissible under Michigan school purchasing laws.*
Therefore, school districts may use U.S. Communities contracts and save significant time and advertising costs, while also accessing bid competitive pricing based on nationwide volume. Furthermore, the prices are the lowest that will be offered by participating suppliers to government entities nationwide.
Registering with U.S. Communities gives your district access to thousands of quality products and services from multiple vendors. Once registered, you can check U.S. Communities pricing against other sources before making your purchase decisions. Registering for the program neither commits you to participate nor binds the district in any manner; your district will still have the ability to make choices outside of U.S. Communities.
Getting started is easy:
1. Register with U.S. Communities (no cost – no obligation) so district personnel can access the U.S. Communities Web site where vendors, products and prices are available for review. Registration is online at www.uscommunities.org. Compare the U.S. Communities contracts with the contracts your district currently has in place.
2. Go online to request contact from a U.S. Communities vendor and a representative will contact you to review their offering and bid prices.
3. Decide to execute an order with the U.S. Communities supplier of your choice or not.
Benefits:
- Saves time and advertising costs
- Best in class products
- No cost to participants
- No obligation
- Free shipping on most orders and no minimum order sizes –warehousing and district in-house delivery is not needed
Contracts Offered:
- Office and School Supplies-Office Depot
- School Furniture-Virco
- Electrical and Comm/Data- Graybar
- Office Furniture – Haworth, Herman Miller, and Knoll
- Technology Products-Tech Depot and Insight
- Technology Solutions-GTSI and Insight
- Janitorial Supplies -ZEP
- Office Machines- Savin, Ricoh, and Lanier
- Park and Playground-Gametime and Landscape Structures
- Athletic Equipment and Supplies- BSN/US Games
- Homeland Security Solutions- Hagemeyer NA
- Maintenance, Repair and Operations- HD Supply Facilities Maintenance and The Home Depot
- Roofing Supplies and Services-Garland
- Auto Parts and Accessories-Auto Zone
- Synthetic Turf- Astroturf
- Educational Laboratory Supplies- Fisher Science Education
- Heavy Duty Rental Equipment- Hertz Equipment Rental
- Elevator Maintenance and Services- Kone
For additional information, go to www.uscommunities.org or contact Alexis Turner, U.S. Communities Program Manager at aturner@uscommunities.org or Dave Martell at MSBO at 517.327.2581 (or dmartell@msbo.org).
* While Michigan law permits participation in purchasing cooperatives such as U.S. Communities, you need to review your board policy to make certain it is consistent with this type approach. In particular, the approach used by U.S. Communities should be summarized in your school district’s purchasing policy with an accompanying statement indicating that the process constitutes a competitive bid for the purposes of board policy and state law. We will have sample policies for adoption by boards available on the MASB, MASA and MSBO Web sites in the near future.