By Devon Fionni
School improvement projects can be a very long and costly process, with many unforeseen delays. School boards have to go through the hassle of advertising, investigating, obtaining designs, writing specifications, conducting bid meetings, dealing with potentially inexperienced contractors all while managing and coordinating the installation process. Due to the countless steps associated with the bid process it is not unusual for six months to expire before even breaking ground on a facility improvement project.
More than 60 percent of the marketplace is buying FieldTurf, yet there are purchasing alliances that will not help you to buy it. There is a way to get the product you want through the nation’s most reputable purchasing agency … the Atlas/FieldTurf Cooperative Purchasing Contracts (AFCPC).
The Atlas/FieldTurf Cooperative Purchasing Contracts are comprised of multiple Cooperative Purchasing Agencies, such as The Association of Educational Purchasing Agencies (AEPA), The Cooperative Purchasing Network (TCPN), and the National Joint Powers Alliance (NJPA). Through these three cooperatives, customers can purchase Atlas/FieldTurf Tarkett running tracks, tennis/basketball courts, synthetic turf, and indoor flooring across the U.S. on previously bid contracts with preferential pricing. Turnkey solutions are available through these co-ops through the alternative costing method.
Finding strength in numbers, these cooperative purchasing contracts unite schools from around the country, helping each one of them save valuable time and money for facility enhancement projects. They work on the school’s behalf to secure multistate volume purchasing contracts. These contracts provide measurable and cost effective benefits which continue to exceed the customer’s expectations.
Take the AEPA as an example. Leveraging its purchasing power to negotiate through each bid process, the AEPA saves the customer a substantial amount of time, money, and energy. By the time a school board is ready for a facility improvement, the AEPA has already negotiated the lowest possible price for the highest quality materials.
One case involved Texas Tech University contacting the AEPA about obtaining a FieldTurf field. Five days later the installation process had begun. Examples like these are not uncommon with the Atlas/FieldTurf Cooperative Purchasing Contracts (AFCPC) since all the bid work has already been prearranged and negotiated. The school board simply has to decide which product they want and when they are ready to start. The rest is handled by cooperatives like the AEPA. This cooperative method saves school boards substantial time and energy by effectively reducing a 13-step process down to two.
Thanks to Nationally Assured Contracts, the AEPA has been able to negotiate the highest quality product at the lowest possible national pricing for all AEPA members. In order to obtain the lowest possible prices the AEPA evaluates the potential needs of schools throughout the U.S. and leverages that demand to facilitate volume purchase pricing. Now every AEPA member can be sure that they are receiving the lowest possible prices for the highest quality products, without duplicating the negotiation and bid process.
Facility enhancements require a lot of planning, organizing and negotiating.
With so many steps and people to account for, the coordination process can be overwhelming. The AEPA recognizes this problem and has created Single Source Responsibility. Now instead of trying to track down a dozen different people working on a dozen different jobs, each school has a single point of contact for the product they are interested in purchasing for their facility. The Atlas/FieldTurf Cooperative Purchasing Contracts (AFCPC) enhances facility improvements, freeing up valuable time and money for school boards.
It is not uncommon for school boards to experience feelings of uncertainty when it comes to purchasing new products. Not knowing the product or the installation crew can result in many unforeseen problems. Many stressful hours can be spent researching the product and the reputation of the installation crew. With cooperatives like the AEPA, you have the assurance that these kinds of organizations understand the importance of safety and quality, which is why they only endorse the highest quality products. When it comes to contractors, an extensive contractor data bank is used to ensure that each school receives nothing but the most reliable and qualified installation crews. This way, you can be certain that you will be receiving both a safe and durable product and an experienced installation crew.
Since the year 2000, school boards throughout the United States have joined the AEPA, NJPA, and TCPN in order to secure the highest quality product at the absolute lowest possible prices. School boards in 22 states around the U.S. have already saved a significant amount of time and money on school enhancement projects and hundreds of institutions around the U.S. have been able to obtain FieldTurf through the Atlas/FieldTurf Cooperative Purchasing Contracts.
