Money Matters - Sept. 19. 2016

U.S. Communities Helps to Calm after the Storm

Recently, the battered state of Louisiana began an enormous and long-term recovery effort to restore its communities after devastating floods.  U.S. Communities, NACo’s purchasing cooperative, has stepped in to help.

Over the years, U.S. Communities has demonstrated a commitment to providing valuable goods and services to counties at a low price during emergency situations. Following the news of the Louisiana floods, it made available a new contract providing emergency response, water/fire restoration and disaster recovery with Belfor weeks ahead of the scheduled launch date.

U.S. Communities also promised immediate access to other competitively solicited products, services and support including:

• recovery and rebuilding supplies from The Home Depot and HD Supply
• public sector consulting with Alvarez & Marsal, focused specifically on navigating complex FEMA claims
• emergency response and public safety with Safeware-Mallory
• facilities solutions with Cintas
• Herc — previously known as Hertz — Equipment Rental
• a storm zone program with Garland/DBS, Inc. (roofing)
• cleaning supplies from SupplyWorks, and
• electrical, lighting and telecommunications with Graybar.

This is not the first time U.S. Communities has assisted public agencies in preparing for and recovering from a weather emergency.

In the fall of 2012, Chris Perry, the fleet administration manager for the city of Newport News, Va., placed an order to rent six by-pass pumps along with a front-end loader. Herc Equipment Rental processed the order and delivered the equipment several days before a storm struck the coast. This storm turned out to be Hurricane Sandy, the deadliest and most destructive hurricane of 2012. By placing the order through U.S. Communities, Perry received the equipment at the lowest available pricing, saving the city valuable time, money  and most importantly, lives.

“Prior to using the U.S. Communities contract with Hertz, it was always a difficult, time-consuming and high-cost process to procure equipment prior to storms,” Perry said a year later. “It’s crucial to have a plan for procurement of rental equipment on an as-needed basis for named or significant weather events.

“Using a cooperative purchasing contract was the perfect solution — we were guaranteed equipment, we didn’t pay a premium, and we knew the rates were competitively solicited. It saved us time, money and enabled us to begin the recovery efforts as soon as the storm cleared. It was a total win for the city and its residents.”

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For more information about U.S. Communities, please visit www.uscommunities.org.