https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

Smart Cities & Technology


Online service helps county manage bids

Online service helps county manage bids

Like many local government employees, the purchasing agent in Taney County, Mo., juggles several projects. Along with the county's purchases, Tressa Luttrell
  • Written by American City & County Administrator
  • 1st August 2001

Like many local government employees, the purchasing agent in Taney County, Mo., juggles several projects. Along with the county’s purchases, Tressa Luttrell handles the county’s drug screening and several other programs. When two new county commissioners arrived in January, they suggested that the Internet could help simplify Luttrell’s tasks.

Luttrell used to spend much of her time tracking down specifications, looking through phone books and old bid documents, and gathering paper bids. That process left her limited time to do anything else. After hearing about online purchasing at a conference, County Commissioners Ron Herschend and Don Swan discussed the process with other commissioners and decided that online purchasing would help reduce Luttrell’s workload.

In February, Taney County contracted with Springfield, Mo.-based Way2Bid. Using the online service, Luttrell invites vendors to bid, receives their responses, automatically tallies the results and, once the bidding is closed, posts the bids to the Internet for the public to view.

As part of its registration agreement, the company contacted all of the county’s vendors and registered them on the system, allowing the county to continue doing business with its established vendors. The county did not pay to register on the system, and it could use its existing computers and Internet connections to access the service.

The immediacy of the online service appealed to the county, but Luttrell was still a little nervous. “When I did our first bid, it scared me to death,” Luttrell says. “I wasn’t exactly sure what I was doing, but it was really easy to use. Since then, I’ve gotten to know the system better and how it works. Everything’s been running very smoothly, and it really is saving a lot of time.”

Since beginning its online purchasing process, Taney County has gathered bids for services, materials and equipment, including trash services, oil, gravel, culverts, guardrails and a chip spreader. It also has received bids for mobile radio units, including radio equipment and the costs for service and installation.

An upcoming $21 million construction project for the jail and sheriff’s department will present Luttrell with a big project, but she is not overwhelmed. “I’m excited about being able to do all of that purchasing online,” she says. “It’s going to make it easier to go out for bids on all the furniture and office equipment.”

The move to online purchasing has not been without its challenges, however. Vendors are responsible for paying transaction fees to use the system, and a handful of Taney County’s vendors have expressed concern about paying that fee. Although the county assured them that the bid could reflect the transaction fee, a few vendors have decided not to join the system.

“That’s the one thing I would have done differently,” Luttrell says. “I probably would have held an open meeting for all our vendors to explain the process to them. Maybe then they would have been more comfortable with it. The system has worked fine, but it’s not easy getting vendors to use computers instead of paper.”

Despite those challenges, the county plans to move the majority of its purchasing online in the future. It is considering providing a computer and Internet access in its offices for vendors who are not yet online.

“The system has been a very good tool to have in meeting the day-to-day needs of office management,” Herschend says. “The unexpected benefit of [the system] was to create a truly national vendor list. We have received bids from companies we never knew were out there. The more vendors we have to bid on our needs, the better price we can secure for our citizens.”

Tags: Smart Cities & Technology

Most Recent


  • These 10 American cities are well prepared for a tech-based future
    From smart devices to electric vehicles, the success of technological advancements rely on municipal grids and infrastructure. Some cities are better equipped for the future than others. A new analysis from the tech company ProptechOS ranks the top 10 American cities best positioned for a “smart city future.” “But new technologies can only support us […]
  • public health
    How public health can build a “one health” infrastructure for the future
    Public health challenges—like antibiotic resistance, vector-borne disease and a global pandemic—have eluded traditional public health tools and frameworks. As a result, public health leaders focus more and more on the intersection between the environment and human health. Searching for a better framework to understand emerging threats to human health, many in public health circles have […]
  • Report: With increasing popularity of e-bikes and e-scooters, there's a need for 'safe and connected infrastructure'
    Electric scooters and e-bikes are rising in popularity. As transportation options diversify, local policymakers are beginning to integrate micromobility means as integral fixtures in transportation networks and climate action plans, given their health and climate benefits. But along with solutions, they’re also bringing with them a slew of hurdles. A report out of Oregon highlights […]
  • How 5G is making cities safer, smarter, and more efficient
    This article first appeared on Urgent Communication. It’s a scenario we’ve all experienced: an ambulance with a blaring siren racing against time to get a person in medical distress to a hospital through traffic. What we don’t see is 5G connectivity enabling paramedics to communicate with hospital staff via video conference and coordinate care in […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • North Texas alliance partners with Marketplace.city on smart government solutions
  • Harris County deploys next-generation security in 150 public buildings
  • Prioritizing rapid restore leads to stronger ransomware attack recovery
  • Today’s infrastructure needs greater than roads and bridges - It’s time to face our digital connectiveness

White papers


Modernizing government services for today’s resident expectations

24th January 2023

Preparing Your Community Now for the Next Generation of Older Adults

18th October 2022

Helping Government Fleets Achieve Their Goals

30th September 2022
view all

Webinars


Future-proof Your State and Local Government Finance: 5 Key Trends for 2023

6th February 2023

How To: Evaluate Digital Government Service Delivery Technologies

23rd January 2023

Using Technology to Enhance Communications

29th November 2022
view all

PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

GALLERIES


25 of the best city flags flying over American metros and towns

7th February 2023

These 10 American cities are well prepared for a tech-based future

1st February 2023

Report: While remote work is causing offices to empty out, walkable cities are still in high demand

26th January 2023
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

NYC wants to convert unused offices into housing units through relaxed regulations, incentivization dlvr.it/Sj7ls5

8th February 2023
AmerCityCounty

Tuning into your community: Top reasons why your agency needs a podcast dlvr.it/Sj7578

8th February 2023
AmerCityCounty

25 of the best city flags flying over American metros and towns dlvr.it/Sj2RyK

7th February 2023
AmerCityCounty

Residents ask government leaders to show measurable sustainability results and triumphs dlvr.it/Sj1znw

6th February 2023
AmerCityCounty

Future-proof Your State and Local Government Finance: 5 Key Trends for 2023 dlvr.it/Sj1KxB

6th February 2023
AmerCityCounty

Amid spike, federal transportation department launches initiative to curb traffic-related deaths dlvr.it/Shvs31

3rd February 2023
AmerCityCounty

Engaging businesses to strengthen your community dlvr.it/ShvZn0

3rd February 2023
AmerCityCounty

Report: Some public employees face financial hardship; comprehensive pay packages proved ‘a pathway toward economic… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

2nd February 2023

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.