by Katie Logisz
May 29, 2006

U.S. Communities cooperative purchasing alliance is pleased to announce that as of March 2006, Office Depot now includes thousands of customizable apparel and promotional products as a part of the vendor’s catalogue of offerings. This is a new addition to the contract, which was first offered to participating public agencies January 2. Los Angeles County was the lead agency in the renegotiation of the Office Depot contract.

This broad range of items can be decorated with a public agency’s name, seal, logo, tagline, statement or any other text of design. Examples of products that can be customized include polo shirts, caps, jackets, and t'shirts, as well as coffee mugs, tote bags, gifts and awards, golf balls and accessories, awareness bracelets, key rings, Post-It Notes, magnets, calendars, stress relievers, writing instruments, and more. Agencies registered to use U.S. Communities contracts will receive an additional discount of 10 percent off of all promotional products featured in the Office Depot catalogue, with the exception of golf items, which will be discounted at 5 percent.

To support agencies interested in purchasing from this new line of offerings, Office Depot has customer service agents who are experts with these products available to help place orders and to answer questions. Ordering is simple and more information on the products and the ordering process can be found at http://www.uscommunities.org/product_category/apparel.htm.

The United States Conference of Mayors is a national sponsor of U.S. Communities, a cooperative purchasing alliance which allows for cities and other public agencies to utilize their combined purchasing power in order to secure contracts at or below GSA contract pricing. One public agency acts as a lead agency selecting a vendor through a competitive bidding process. Other agencies can then piggyback onto these contracts. Contracts offered through U.S. Communities are non-exclusive, allowing cities and other public agencies to pick and choose which contracts will best benefit them and provide savings.

For more information on how your city can realize savings through U.S. Communities, contact Katie Logisz with the Conference at 202-841-0775 or send email to klogisz@usmayors.org. More information on U.S. Communities and its contracts are available online at usmayors.org and www.uscommunities.org.