County Executive Steve Schuh recently announced his administration has implemented a series of reforms to the procurement system that have saved taxpayers $14.6 million.
“We have changed fundamentally how government interacts with the private sector,” said Schuh. “The reforms we implemented are paying real dividends for Anne Arundel County taxpayers.”
The procurement process is the process by which County government purchases goods and services needed to support police officers, fire fighters, inspectors, and all other County employees delivering County services to citizens. Traditionally, the process has been bogged down in bureaucratic red tape and inefficiencies. Upon coming into office, the County Executive ordered an enterprise wide review of County government to identify inefficiencies and cost savings.
The Purchasing Division of Central Services saved $14 million over the last 2.5 years by changing the law and policies to remove unnecessary steps, by adding technology to better manage the procurement process, and training all County staff on the best way to undertake purchases fairly and competitively. In addition, Purchasing staff are working directly with vendors to ensure that County purchases of goods and services are being bought at the best price. Further, the County has taken advantage of numerous regional and national cooperative purchasing contracts that increase the County’s buying power.
Businesses interested in contracting with the County can learn more by visiting http://www.aacounty.org/departments/central-services/purchasing.
