Buying products like fire apparatus and personal protective equipment is part of a fire-rescue chief’s job, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to do.
The How-to Guide to Cooperative Purchasing for Fire-Rescue Service Leaders aims to shine a light on how cooperative purchasing—a well-established government procurement tool designed to save time and money while giving buyers more flexibility and choice—can specifically help those in the fire-rescue service.
The guide is available now on the Sourcewell website and delves into how cooperative purchasing reduces fire-rescue service leaders' need to deal with complex request for proposal (RFP) processes. It also highlights how cooperative purchasing (also called group purchasing) can ensure compliance with an organization’s procurement requirements, as well as compliance with city, state, or other local government purchasing rules.
Readers will find answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about cooperative purchasing, including:
● How does it work?
● What can be purchased?
● What are the benefits?
● Does it make sense for my department?
● How can I get started?
The eBook includes infographics and a valuable visual guide to help fire-rescue agencies understand the steps to using a cooperative procurement contract.
“Instead of me spending 20 or 30 hours on a project, I spend 20 or 30 minutes and get the same results at the end of it—and a lot of times there’s savings,” says Timothy Whitham, a fire chief with the Edwardsville Fire Department in Kansas. His is just one of the many testimonials from fire chiefs, fire chief associations, and companies that supply apparatus and equipment to agencies included in the eBook.
Learn more about cooperative purchasing and hear more from departments and companies that have benefited from the How-to Guide to Cooperative Purchasing for Fire-Rescue Service Leaders.
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To learn more about Sourcewell's cooperative purchasing contracts for fire departments, visit sourcewell-mn.gov/fire-rescue-gpo or call 877-413-5360.
