Jackson enters co-op to save dollars, cut red tape

The city of Jackson has entered into an interlocal cooperative purchasing agreement in anticipation of buying new equipment for the fire department.

The Houston-Galveston Area Council, also known as HGACBuy, is a regional council of more than 6,000 public and private entities in 49 states and uses its purchasing power to secure better value when buying items.

Jackson already is a member of two other collective-purchasing groups, through which it intends to buy a fire engine in the near future, Jackson city administrator Jim Roach said.

“Besides getting better prices, since they go out on a big sale, [buying through cooperative purchasing groups] means we don’t have to provide the things like specification documents or bidding requirements or other red tape,” Roach said.

Membership is about $400 annually for the HGACBuy, Roach said.

Public-services department director Diedre Vick said most of HGACBuy’s business includes buying of equipment for public-safety needs and public works.

“We are able to prepare the research and provide specifications because we’re [purchasing] globally,” she said.

It also often represents other entities such as Southeast Missouri State University, which is a member, according to HGACBuy’s website client roster.

“Because of the quantity that can be expected from [cooperative purchasing], we can be getting what I’d call quantity discounts,” Vick said. “There’s a benefit there.”

tgraef@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3627