District #17 BOE Meeting - A Comment on Consortiums and Regional Buying Groups

At the BOE meeting this past Tuesday evening, November 15, Superintendent Thiery gave an enthusiastic endorsement for the BOE to sign an agreement to join a consortium for the District to purchase electricity through.  The deal is saving the District a considerable amount of money over what I believe is a 3 year contract.  The BOE voted to approve the deal.  While I believe we should be enthusiastic about the savings, I am concerned about the Superintendent’s remarks that seemed to communicate to the BOE, that when given an opportunity to join a buying group the District should take advantage of it. 

I hope the BOE will not allow the District to become too dependent on buying groups or associations.  We should not automatically assume that the best deals and services come from these groups. 

While good deals and guidance can be found in these groups, they should not be a substitute for periodically aggressively shopping the “market place.”  Comparing services, costs, and negotiating for the best deal does require a lot of work, however it also insures that you/we are getting the best deal.