Page 8 - The Edge - BTS 2021

SAVING MONEY

BY MARK KINSEY
It ‘All Adds Up’ at Marana USD #6

Mark Kinsey

For the past five-plus years, Marana Unified At Marana USD, our Procurement Department
School District #6 has been tracking its has created a purchasing approach that embodies
individual purchase order cost savings through compliance, service, and best value through
the Procurement Department taking proactive smart and strategic purchasing. In our monthly
and deliberate actions in conjunction with “Procurement News to Use,” we share various
its internal customers and vendors. Since the successes – savings, cost avoidance, smart buys
2016/2017 school year, this effort has created – practiced by our staff members and buyers, as
a documented procurement savings – or cost well as their specific strategies.
avoidance – of approximately $1 million. This
past school year, Marana USD was formally “How did you get district buy in?”
recognized by AASBO with a Best Practice Identify, act, and track on your areas to save;
Award for this work. then, recognize your successes!

Today’s school districts are facing an ever- When I arrived at Marana USD, we had gone
increasing myriad of issues in and out of the away from bulk purchase of bathroom supplies
classroom, a trend observed by school business and went to the more traditional just-in-time
officials over the past decade. With the public’s purchase. Since we lacked a warehouse team, the
trust and continued confidence among the most thought was that this would not be cost-effective.
critical elements for success and responding to Within the first six months of arriving at Marana,
these challenges, all school business officials and we began working to lock in large bulk pricing
district leadership must lead the way by pursuing for bathroom supplies and copier paper. These
best business practices with transparency. were things we knew we could easily store and
deliver to each school/site with
our small warehouse team.
This was the jump-start to
begin thinking about all of our
purchases in a different way!

From analytical reviews of
specifications and cooperative
contracts – from new buses
to the smallest of classroom
supply items – to seeking
new vendors, our team of
buyers and 30-plus school/site
purchasers worked together

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8 THE EDGE BACK TO SCHOOL 2021