One of my pet peeves is overspending by govt agencies on copiers and printing. A while ago (2004-2005?) I noticed a new Xerox copier in City Hall. Subsequently I asked about the bid process because I subscribe to a local government bid list that would have included such an item. ( Why is another story I won’t go into now.)
That’s when I found out the minimum had been recently changed to $25,000. So, if an item costs less than $25000, it does not go out to bid.
Is that the best solution? Based on the Xerox purchase I would have to say no. Because anyone with extensive knowledge of copiers knows that Xerox is a overpriced for low and mid-volume copiers and printers. In fact, it’s been that way for probably 10 years. Even with State pricing, there are still better options.
Xerox does not even manufacture all their lower end products and sometimes just rebrands them. But if you love Xerox ( and I do) then there are still other options. Did you know ALL Xerox products are made from new, used and reprocessed parts? So a new machine won’t be all new, but you always pay full price. UNLESS. Unless you have more knowledge than others. Because I could call Xerox right now and tell them I was thinking of buying a refurbished Xerox machine from someone else. Then they would counter offer with their own refurbished unit. ( A Xerox machine with new, used and reprocessed parts.)
In the end I could choose- buy from Xerox or buy from the other party. In either case the Xerox service is the same. But I could pay substantially less than the State of Florida contract prices. Usually about 50% less. That’s a fact.
Are there other purchases with similar stories. Undoubtedly. There is an entire industry of refurbishing hardware of all types for resale. CIO’s and CFO’s of major corporations took notice years ago and now spend BILLIONS in purchasing on refurb’d vs new. Remember the dot.com bust? Tons of companies went belly up that had the absolute latest in hardware, flooding the market with high quality computers, furniture and all sorts of stuff.
It’s time government entities started purchasing like public/private corporations so dollars can be redirected to other needs or —taxes were lowered!