April 12, 2004

Public agencies purchase billions of dollars per year in goods and services and are continually looking for new solutions to help them meet their purchasing requirements and needs. Government agencies — as keepers of taxpayers- hard-earned dollars — also want a good return on investment for the goods they purchase. During this time of diminishing local government resources and federal and state deficits, local agencies need programs that help save precious taxpayer resources. The United States Conference of Mayors has delivered on this value proposition by sponsoring a program for cities that significantly reduces the costs of purchased goods. The program is known as the U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance.

U.S. Communities is a non-profit instrumentality of government established by public agencies to reduce the cost of purchased goods and to streamline the purchasing process. This program is nationally sponsored by the United States Conference of Mayors, the National Association of Counties, the National League of Cities, the Association of School Business Officials International, and the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing.

Through U.S. Communities, cities, counties, and public agencies such as schools and special districts can piggyback on competitively solicited contracts, thus taking advantage of the enormous collective purchasing power of thousands of U.S. local government agencies.

Designed in cooperation with an Advisory Board of local government purchasing officials, U.S. Communities pools the purchasing power of public agencies, achieves bulk volume discounts on behalf of public agencies, competitively solicits quality products through a lead public agency, and provides a purchasing forum for public agencies nationwide. Today, over 7,000 cities and public agencies from across the country are participating including.

U.S. Communities helps provide cities with options regarding the most commonly purchased goods. The product offering is broad, including office supplies, furniture, computers and peripherals, electrical supplies, janitorial supplies, flooring and carpeting, communications materials.

The key advantage of participating in U.S. Communities is cost savings for cities and public agencies. Cities can gain access to the national purchasing power of all local government public agencies through U.S. Communities. By utilizing U.S. Communities, cities can secure the following key advantages:

• Competitively solicited contracts by a lead public agency
• Most favorable public agency pricing
• No cost to the public agency to participate
• Nationally sponsored by leading associations and purchasing organizations
• Broad range of high quality products
• Aggregated purchasing power of public agencies nationwide
• Managed by public purchasing professionals
• Available to all cities, counties, schools, special districts, townships, villages, boroughs, other local governments and state agencies, as well as non-profit agencies that support local and state governments.

In addition, U.S. Communities works closely with public agencies to understand their buying needs and the needs of thousands of other public purchasing agents, purchasing managers, purchasing directors, and procurement officers. U.S. Communities is constantly expanding its product offering to public agencies.

The purchasing function plays a critical role in helping local governments save money on the goods purchased by these agencies each year. The United States Conference of Mayors has developed and offers U.S. Communities as a successful, proven tool to help cities achieve this important mission. U.S. Communities hopes that you, the mayor, will explore and evaluate this program for your community and find the tangible program benefits. For more information about U.S. Communities or to find out how your city can benefit from this non-exclusive purchasing program, please contact Katie Logisz with the United States Conference of Mayors at 202-861-6703 or klogisz@usmayors.org. Information is also available by visiting www.uscommunities.org.