FT. LAUDERDALE, FL - October 12, 2000 - Doing business with Broward County Public Schools just got easier. BCPS recently began posting bids online with DemandStar.com, an Internet-based marketplace that unites local government purchasers with suppliers of goods and services. This is considered a progressive move for the school district, which believes online procurement is a more efficient way for government agencies to purchase goods and services.
"More government entities across the United States are going online," said Art Hanby, Director of Purchasing with BCPS. "The goal in government purchasing is to get the best value for taxpayer's dollars through competitive bidding. We believe that posting our bids online helps us maximize the exposure of our bids. It broadens our reach to more suppliers. In addition, we expect to save time and reduce administrative costs associated with our bid process, which will allow us to concentrate our resources on supporting our schools."
As one of the fastest growing school districts in America (and the fifth largest), Broward County understands the need for attracting qualified suppliers. Hanby, who encouraged the district to go electronic after seeing a presentation about the DemandStar service, says, "The traditional practice of maintaining our own mailing list and mailing out bids just wasn't producing enough responses. By utilizing DemandStar's Internet technology, we expect to see an increase in the number of bids received."
DemandStar officials say that suppliers will also benefit. "Our service makes doing business with the government easier than ever," said Sam Chesser spokesman for the company. "Suppliers will no longer need to drive across town or call the school district's purchasing office to get bid packages.
For much less time and effort they can receive bid opportunities automatically by email and download complete bid packages online-anytime, 24-hours a day."
Suppliers can register online by county, state or nationally and gain access to all of the member agencies in their territory. It is not mandatory that suppliers register for the service. They can still choose to visit the agency to pick-up bid packages. However, the school district is hoping that most suppliers will take advantage of the technology and sign-up with DemandStar. The service is provided at no charge to the agency.
