| Purchase Fire Service Products | | Print | |
| Tuesday, 25 November 2008 | |
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Download our IFCA Merchandise Form See information below regarding the Fire Rescue Group Purchasing Organization: www.firerescue-gpo.com Please Note: Anyone who is currently using the Fire Rescue-GPO contracts for Grainger needs to fill out this form and email, fax or send to Grainger to update their account. Member number is your GPO member number and the account number or numbers are your current account numbers with Grainger.  What is a GPO? A group purchasing organization (GPO) is an entity that assists a company or public organization to realize saving and efficiencies by combining the purchasing volume of its members and using that leverage to negotiate discounts with manufacturers, suppliers and distributors. Are GPO's successful in other industries? Why hasn't anyone marketed this to fire departments before? GPO's are very successful both in the healthcare industry and industries where rival companies utilize similar raw materials, such as chemical manufacturing. In the healthcare industry, it is estimated that 72% of hospitals purchase through GPO's, with annual GPO spending topping $180 billion in 1999 alone. Because the Fire Service is made up of public entities, they have primarily used government based purchasing programs such as GSA. The FireRescue GPO is a new concept offering an alternative for all fire and emergency services agencies. I don't understand how the FireRescue GPO service works; could you briefly explain it? The FireRescue GPO negotiates volume contracts on behalf of members directly with vendors. Eventually these contracts will span every commodity and service your fire department requires. Once you are registered with FireRescue GPO, you are given contact information to use when purchasing from our selected vendors. Your information will be on file with these partners and you will automatically get the pricing and terms that have been negotiated by the FireRescue GPO. It is simple and fast. The FireRescue GPO is here to answer any questions you have, negotiate contracts on your behalf, and act as a general advocate for purchasing within the fire service. Are there any fees to sign up with the FireRescue GPO? No, FireRescue GPO benefits are free. Program costs are covered by Vendor fees. What are the benefits my department can expect once we sign up with the FireRescue GPO service? Your department can expect lower equipment and service costs, improved internal purchasing processes and lower administrative overhead. Lower equipment and services costs - Simply put, we negotiate the best pricing possible on brand name, best in class, equipment and services. If we cannot give you the lowest price, then our concept will fail and your department will purchase elsewhere. Quality, services, and price; our goal is to provide all three. Improved internal purchasing processes - By directing the majority of your department's purchasing through the FireRescue GPO you can streamline your internal purchasing processes and focus on your core competencies. Your attention can now be focused on the quality of service the FireRescue GPO is providing instead of constantly seeking out new vendors or having to closely monitor contracts on a local level. Lower administrative overhead - Since your purchasing personnel can now be focused on department needs instead of how they will acquire it, less time can be dedicated to the purchasing function which may lower administrative and personnel costs. Are there minimum purchasing requirements once my department is eligible for the FireRescue GPO service? No, there are no minimum purchasing requirements, although we encourage you to purchase as much as possible through the contracts we have negotiated on behalf of your department. We also encourage you to compare our pricing to that of your current vendors or other potential vendors to ensure we are providing our membership with the lowest pricing possible. If you find a lower price, please contact us so we can revisit our contract and change it accordingly. So the FireRescue GPO doesn't actually sell anything? No, the FireRescue GPO does not buy or sell any products or services to our members. We simply facilitate access to special contract pricing for our members. However, on rare occasions, the FireRescue-GPO will offer one-time purchase items that have been specially negotiated, but the majority of your department's purchasing will be conducted directly with our contract vendors and/or manufacturers.  Owned and operated by the Western Fire Chiefs Association, the Fire Service Bookstore is a not-for-profit entity that serves instructors and students by supplyiing the highest quality training materials available. New offerings include children's books, personal growth titles and promotional materials. Estimates on training materials for the purpose of grant proposals are available upon request. The Fire Service Bookstore provides competitive pricing, personalized service and expedited delivery. For current publications and pricing, please visit fireservicebooks.com. |
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