Collective Purchasing

FRCOG aggregates the needs of over 50 towns for Dog License and Tags.

Any Massachusetts municipality may participate in the collective bid for dog licenses and/or dog tags. Surveys are sent out in August. Bids or Price Quotes are issued in September and received in October. Awards are issued and products are received at the end of December. Participants reimburse the FRCOG for the cost of their products and they pay a fee for the service they received. The fee is $45.

Bimonthly or Quarterly elevator maintenance and yearly inspection is offered for participant’s public buildings which operate elevators or lifts. Currently the collective program serves 50 elevators in 25 towns, non-profits and school districts. These contracts allow for separate competitive bidding for major services, which results in lower price for basic maintenance than full service contracts. The current fee to participate in a three year contract is $60 per elevator with a maximum of $120 per entity.

The FRCOG offers a standing contract for rental equipment including backhoes, bulldozers, dump trucks, loaders, excavators, wood chippers, road graders and other highway equipment for use during emergencies or when a community needs a piece of equipment to supplement during a project. All participants in the Highway Collective Purchasing Program are eligible to use this contract. Some agreements are for rental of equipment only, and some are rental with operator.

The Chief Procurement Officer and Assistant Procurement Officer are available to public entities to complete procurements under MGL’s Ch30b; Ch30, §39M; Ch 7; Ch 25a and Ch 149. Construction and design projects can be complex, and Requests for Proposals require a named Chief Procurement Officer per the Massachusetts Inspector General. These projects are undertaken when time is available in the collective procurement schedule.

The FRCOG conducts a 3-year collective bid for Fire Alarm and Sprinkler inspection services.  Current participants total over 60 buildings and include Town Offices, Fire Stations, Libraries, Schools, Highway Garages, Water Facilities, and Police Stations.  The fee to participate is $40 per building.

The FRCOG collective bid Fire Extinguisher Services includes Inspection, Recharging, and Testing of Extinguishers and Ansul / Fire Suppression Systems.  Current participants total approximately 26 entities with over 2,500 extinguishers, and include School Districts, multiple Municipal locations, and Non-Profit facilities. There is no fee for participation in this bid, as the awarded vendor pays a nominal quarterly Administrative Fee to FRCOG.

The FRCOG offers the opportunity to any Massachusetts Municipality, School, or Non-Profit Agency to participate in one, two or all three of the fuel bids: #2 Heating Fuel, Diesel Fuel, and 2 grades of Gasoline. Bidding is conducted in the Spring, with contracts in place for July 1st of each year. Contracts are currently offered as Fixed Price or, Mark-Up over Rack Price to meet each participant’s needs. The fee to participate in the program is $165 per fuel for FRCOG member communities and Schools and Non-Profit agencies within those communities. $190 per fuel is charged to non-member communities or agencies outside Franklin County. Participation in the bid does not commit any participant to contract for fuel through the FRCOG, but is an inexpensive, valuable way to explore bulk purchase pricing in a volatile market. FRCOG administers and troubleshoots the fuel contracts for all participants throughout the year.

Approximately 22 different, multi-faceted Highway products and services are offered to participants on a fiscal year basis. There is an annual fee charged to participate in any number of the highway products and services bids which is billed in July and based on community population. Surveys are sent to potential participants in February; returned surveys are collated with quantities to be bid; prequalification by MassDOT is obtained; bids are issued to vendors; bid openings are held in public; bids are reviewed for errors, proper documents, etc.; bid results are prepared and sent to participants with recommendation for awards; participants respond by providing their award decisions, and contracts are drawn up for vendor and participants’ electronic signatures and execution. MassDOT State Aid Engineers Districts 1 and 2 are apprised of all contracts; FRCOG awards the bids on behalf of participants.  Contract management, troubleshooting, and program assistance are provided on an as-needed basis. Summer products and construction contracts start July 1, Winter product contracts start October 1, and Equipment Rental bids run calendar year.

The FRCOG conducts an annual collective bid for Water Treatment Chemicals.  Currently the program serves approximately 13 facilities including Water, Sewer, and Wastewater Treatment Plants located in Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden counties. The bid typically covers the estimated needs for more than 20 chemicals with various packaging and delivery requirements.   There is no fee for participation in this bid, as the awarded vendors pay a nominal Administrative Fee to FRCOG.

Massachusetts General Laws require a public procurement process for supplies and services, and construction projects, estimated to cost $10,000 or more. For purchases less than $10,000, the FRCOG follows sound business practices. For more information on Massachusetts procurement, please see https://www.mass.gov/the-oig-public-procurement-and-chapter-30b-programs

Electronic versions of RFQs, IFBs and RFPs are available to be viewed and downloaded on the FRCOG Bids webpage. You can sign up to receive notifications of new bids using our “Mailchimp” option.

In compliance with Massachusetts General Law, the FRCOG also advertises IFBs and RFPs in a local newspaper, the Goods & Services Bulletin, Central Register and/or COMMBUYS page where applicable, and on our FRCOG website. Our local newspaper is typically the Greenfield Recorder.

To reduce our use of paper, and for the convenience of vendors and contractors, documents can now be obtained online only. Documents are found on the Bids tab under the “Service Areas” section. Interested parties must fill out a short registration form in order to view online documents. Critical dates, such as pre-bid meetings, site visits, and due dates, are included in the solicitation documents.

While registering for documents, take care to use a correct email address. If any changes are made to the documents or dates, email will be used to notify all plan holders of such changes.

Plan holder lists may be viewed within the solicitation posting on the website. Registration is not required to view the list.

Prevailing wage schedules for Collective Bids by County can be accessed here on the Bids webpage.

Prevailing wages for individual bids are attached to the solicitation document.

Prequalification of bidders by MassDOT is required for construction contracts of $50,000 or more, or if the municipality is utilizing Chapter 90 funding for the project. More information can be accessed by contacting the MassDOT Prequalification Unit at 857-368-8660 or email [email protected].

Please do not call the office to request results. Results will be sent to all who downloaded the bid document, and will include vendor/contractor names and pricing. Alternately, you may email [email protected] with the Bid Number in the request to obtain results. Contract Award Notices are generally posted within 30 days of the due date under “Current and Prior Bid Awards”. Registration is not required to view Contract Award Notices.