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F.A.Q.
What is U.S. Communities?
U.S. Communities is a nonprofit instrumentality of government that assists public agencies in reducing the cost of purchased goods through pooling the purchasing power of public agencies nationwide. This is accomplished through competitively solicited contracts for quality products through lead public agencies.
Who can participate?
All government agencies, except Federal, that have the authority to purchase from another public agency's competitively solicited contract. This would include most city, state and county agencies, along school districts, colleges and universities.
What is the cost to participate?
There are no costs or fees for the local agency to participate.
Why should I participate?
- Cost savings
- Administrative savings
- No cost to participate
- Aggregate purchasing power
- Quality products
- Online ordering
Does my agency have to be a member of ASBO, NIGP, NACo, NLC, USCM to participate?
No, any city, state or county agency, or school district, college and university can participate.
How can a public agency participate?
Public agencies must register online at the U.S. Communities website. There are no restrictions on the amount or size of a public agency's order.
Legally, can my agency use U.S. Communities?
Through the Intergovernmental (Joint Powers) Purchasing Statutes, public agency's have the ability to access U.S. Communities contracts. Click here to see the law addressing intergovernmental purchasing by local government agencies for your state.
Where can I get a copy of the legal documentation of the contract?
A copy of the of the Harford County Public Schools RFP can be obtained by clicking here.
If I choose to use U.S. Communities, do I still have to go out for solicitation?
No, under the "Joint Powers Authority" or "Cooperative Procurement" program, government agencies are able to "piggyback" on a U.S. Communities contract. The competitive principles of the contract satisfy the competitive bid requirements for most state and local government agencies.
Once I sign-up for U.S. Communities, how do I get the discounted pricing and start ordering?
Simply begin ordering through your agency's normal ordering process. You can take your discounts on all orders as shown in the Harford County School District RFP. U.S. Communities will notify Sportime when an agency registers and/or requests a contact from Sportime at the U.S. Communities website. We will assign your Sportime account a special discount code that will ensure all orders that you place receive the U.S. Communities price.
Can I order on-line?
Yes. School Specialty Online, our eCommerce solution, gives you two options for placing orders on-line. Either through our complete school district ordering system (School Specialty Online) or our online catalog store for individual teacher purchasing (School Specialty Online), it's quick, easy and secure. For more information on our eCommerce solutions, click here to visit our School Specialty Online site.
How do I contact Sportime?
For information about U.S. Communities:
Dedicated Phone 1-800-523-8176
Dedicated Fax 1-800-333-0712
Joe Gooden
U.S. Communities Account Manager
1-800-283-5700 extension 7260
jgooden@sportime.com
For orders and Customer Service:
Phone Orders 1-800-283-5700
Fax Orders 1-800-845-1535
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