Group purchasing going well for Fort St. John

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Group purchasing has been going well for the City of Fort St. John, according to an administration report received by council last week.

During a council meeting on December 11th, an administration report was received for information detailing the effectiveness of group purchasing in 2023.

CAO Milo MacDonald said the city has benefitted from price stability and knows the price is close to the best price available on the market.

In 2023, they used GPO through Canoe and Sourcewell as well as Kinetic to make procurements within the capital budget.

Cooperative purchasing groups are businesses that leverage the purchasing power of multiple companies or groups to get discounts from suppliers, contractors, and retailers.

Cooperative purchasing streamlines the procurement process and helps keep the city well within budget, said the report.

The city purchased a motor grader for 474,880 with a budget of 500,000, an excavator for $268,505 with a budget of $310,000, a Toolcat for $95,830 with a budget of $105,000 and a playground in Mathew’s Park for $405,245 with a budget for $565,000.

As part of the capital plan, the city arranged funds to replace the Mathew’s Park playground equipment, which, after some delays, was completed in October.

The full report from the Director of Public Works and Utilities, Jeremy Garner, can be found below: