White House hopes to cut costs by buying in bulk (Wa Post)

[pinto]

A drop in the bucket overall, but a good message, symbolically and functionally, especially to federal agencies, imo. ~ pinto

White House hopes to cut costs by buying in bulk
By Ed O'Keefe

The White House, eager to demonstrate it’s serious about curtailing federal spending, is adopting a tactic frequently used by penny-pinching shoppers: It’s planning to buy in bulk.

Starting this week, several federal agencies and departments will start pooling their purchases of office printers, copiers and scanners in hopes of collectively saving $600 million in the next four years, administration officials said late Friday.

The move, known as “strategic sourcing” in government contracting circles, is also forcing agencies to take a serious inventory of some popular office supplies.

<snip>

Government contracting more than doubled during George W. Bush’s presidency, in part because of the wider use of multimillion-dollar no-bid deals.

more detail at -

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/post/white-house-hopes-to-cut-costs-by-buying-in-bulk/2011/09/17/gIQAFkY9cK_blog.html

[frazzled]

1. The "Costco rule"

We use it for toilet paper and kitty litter! Why not for gubmint?

This is such a big d'oh that you almost can't believe they haven't tried it before. Too many fiefdoms I suppose.

[pinto]

2. Yeah. too many fiefdoms, too little oversight and too much laissez faire contracting under Bush..

:hi:

[Uncle Joe]

3. Kicked and recommended for efficiency.

Thanks for the thread, pinto.

[saras]

4. Wholesale corruption?

[pinto]

5. Whaa? Miss your point.

:hi:

[SixthSense]

6. Throw in lobbying and bribery

and "buying in bulk" will turn into a no-compete contract for a politician's favored supporter, with the proposed savings being completely forgotten

That is after all just what happened with health care reform.

[pinto]

7. Suggest you check some of the detail in the piece. This seems more a bureaucratic savings approach

i.e. federal agency mid-management level changes, not some quid-pro-quo political thing.

Though the savings aren't huge, they're savings. And I think they're a good message to those mid-management level staff that a laissez faire contract approach is being challenged.

At least in this realm of the enormous federal operation.

:hi:

[SixthSense]

8. article detail doesn't say that

We'll see how it turns out (if we ever hear). Based on past "saving" measures I am not hopeful for a positive result.

[dtexdem]

9. But if we buy 20,000 new nuclear bombs at one go, we get them much cheaper ...

than if we buy them one at a time. ;-)

[awoke_in_2003]

10. "Welcome to Costco, I love you". nt

[emilyg]

11. Lobsters, shrimp and beef in bulk.

[applegrove]

12. Oh this will make the corporate suppliers so mad.