The purchasing process for government, education and healthcare organizations is not always easy or efficient. It often involves the complexities of the RFP process, followed by the equally challenging bidding process. Then, if everything moves forward without issues (which is somewhat rare), you might be looking at up to nine months before anyone starts installing the new phone system.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just pick out a phone system that meets your needs, one that is reliable and competitively priced and buy it? Maybe you can.

Skip the RFP and Bidding Process

Yes, you read that right. Skipping the RFP process is possible with Sourcewell (formerly known as NJPA) and Mitel. Sourcewell is a public cooperative agency that helps government agencies, schools, municipalities and even non-profits locate goods and services in order to expedite their purchase. Normally if you need to spend more than a certain amount - sometimes an amount as low as $10,000 - you are forced by statute to execute an RFP and then let the contract out for bids.

Now Sourcewell does a lot of that legwork for you. They review potential vendors, requests competitive solicitations and selects a product or service that meets specific requirements. Once they have done all the due diligence, you can look through the Sourcewell vendor list and find competitive contracts on the items your organization needs to get its work done.

Why settle for a phone system you don’t want?

In the case of phone systems, Sourcewell chose Mitel as a partner and has established contract pricing for its products. That price is the same for every government organization, healthcare facility or school district. The price has already met many of the statutory requirements of the RFP process...all you need to do is pick out the custom phone system that best meets the needs of your organization.

That’s where a company like Marco comes in. If you are the IT manager who needs a certain kind of phone system, Sourcewell has already established Mitel as the vendor, along with the price for all of the equipment. If that meets your needs, all that's left is to work with Marco to determine installation and service needed for system implementation. Together you can create a custom phone solution that respects your budget, your timeline and your organization’s communications needs.

Expediting the purchase process is a dream come true for a lot of IT managers, and they're often surprise by how much that a Sourcewell cooperative contracts can make accomplishing what they need to accomplish much easier. Check with your business office, Sourcewell or the team at Marco to learn more about how you can use Sourcewell for your next phone system upgrade.