School and municipal improvement projects can be a very long and costly process, with many unforeseen delays. Organizations 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.
Below are the three ways to ensure you get the industry’s highest quality sports surfacing products while saving time and money by eliminating the duplication of the bid process
The SmartBuy Cooperative Purchasing Program is comprised of multiple Cooperative Purchasing Agencies, such as The Association of Educational Purchasing Agencies (AEPA), The Cooperative Purchasing Network (TCPN), and the BuyBoard. Through these cooperatives, customers can purchase FieldTurf artificial turf, Beynon running tracks, and sports surfaces 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, the cooperative purchasing contracts unite schools and municipalities from around the country, helping each one of them save valuable time and money for facility enhancement projects. They work on the organization's behalf to secure multistate volume purchasing contracts. These contracts provide measurable and cost effective benefits.
In 2006, the U.S. General Services Administration awarded a contract to FieldTurf USA Inc., under the category of recreational and athletic equipment – allowing organizations to obtain FieldTurf through the federal government without having to endure the lengthy and often misleading bid process.
The GSA is the most reliable resource for Federal purchasers with the most comprehensive selection of approved products & services. GSA Advantage is an online system that allows federal agencies to see what General Services Administration (GSA) sources of supply are available, compare items and place orders.
The goal of the system is to bring together all GSA sources, along with their catalog description, current price and delivery options to provide a simplified method of ordering. For more information, please visit www.gsaadvantage.gov and enter FieldTurf’s contract number in the search box or call (800) 724-2969.
FieldTurf GSA Contract # GS-07F-9631S
California Multiple Award Schedule (CMAS) Much like GSA but on a regional level, CMAS is a legal contract between the State of California and the turf contractor, allowing a direct purchase to be made without the need for a public bid.
How it works is that FieldTurf and the customer agree on price and terms with an upper limit specified in the CMAS contract. The customer sends a detailed purchase order to FieldTurf for the amount of the contract for artificial turf and/or sports surfacing. Once the P.O is received, the project is officially executed. There is no contract with CMAS, only the PO from the school or municipality.
The contract simplifies the purchasing process for the architect and end user. There is no longer the need to formulate detailed bid documents for turf and write product specifications. This allows the architect/designer and the owner to concentrate on other, more important aspects of the project. Bid documents are now only needed to reflect the base and drainage construction and other site work.
In addition, the owner benefits by realizing cost savings due to eliminating part of the bid process and markups of the turf by general contractors. The CMAS process also eliminates unnecessary and costly protests, substitution requests and arguments with dissatisfied suppliers. And most of all, the owner is able to obtain their chosen product at discounted market prices, without the uncertainty as well as the time required in the usual bid process.
FieldTurf CMAS Contract is # 4-06-78-0031A
