Friends:
I have no idea how many times I must repeat this, but public administrators do not have the authority to "Exclude" all competition, in favor of a preferred vendor.
They MAY NOT "EXCLUDE" fair competition. They will make every attempt to circumvent the law through a "Purchasing Cooperative", the singularly most destructive ploy to literally steal from our schools.
It is against the law in all 50 states, and all territories/provinces of Canada. I can prove that if someone wants to give it a try.
Tremco, and Garland depend upon a "No Compete" predatory sales model through "Purchasing Cooperatives". The Cooperative gets paid a commission (4%), and the Tremco or Garland "Salesman" gets 25%. IMMEDIATELY reducing your tax dollar to .71 and diverting the 29% straight to a salesman.
Your "Dollar" just turned into two quarters, two dimes, and a penny.
I am of the "opinion" (a word I rarely use) Purchasing Cooperatives present a "Socialistic" theme of exclusion. You are under the impression they "save" you money, while the opposite is true. That is not an opinion, and I can prove it.
MAJOR, MAINSTREAM, MATERIAL MANUFACTURERS DO NOT USE THIS PREDATORY CONCEPT!
Manufacturers like GAF, Firestone, and Carlisle Syntec ARE honest manufacturers that offer products equal to, or superior to Tremco. NEVER will you see them stealing from schools, and they fight fair.
They COMPETE through open, transparent, bidding practices as we all should. Our schools do not receive serviceability and value through Purchasing Cooperatives, they receive it through competitive bidding.
The following story is one of the most heinous examples of school waste I have ever seen.
http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2014/02/lower_dauphin_school_roofs_to.html?goback=%2Egmp_2781278%2Egde_2781278_member_5842082006267084803
Lower Dauphin school roofs to be replaced, restored.
"The Lower Dauphin School Board has agreed to pay more than $2.2 million to replace the middle school roof and restore the high school roof.
Randy Kline, representative of roofing supplier Tremco's Inc.'s Weatherproofing Technologies division, gave a presentation at the beginning of Monday's school board meeting.
He said the middle school roof is 20 years old and beyond the ability to restore. He said it has been leaking for several years. It is “hemorrhaging,” he said.
The high school roof, at 18 years old, is in somewhat better shape and can be restored at about one third the cost of replacing it, he said.
“If you let it go another two to three years, it will need to be replaced,” he said.
The middle school roof comes with a 20 year maintenance agreement at an up front cost of $73,840 and the high school roof with a 12 year maintenance agreement at a cost of $82,714.
That is obscene. You can use an honorable manufacturer offering 20 year "No Dollar Limit" warranties, backed by billions in assets, for virtually NOTHING!. The "Maintenance" package is the BIGGEST RIPOFF you can imagine.
School officials will also look at adding a maintenance agreement for a portion of the high school roof, including the auditorium, that was replaced in 2008.
Cost for the middle school roof will be $1,143,756. The high school work will be $928,023.
Kline said the roof work was bid through the Keystone Purchasing Network, a cooperative of school districts.
It was not "Bid" to anyone. Keystone used a "line item" form, similar to the one Tremco was fined $65,000,000.00 by the DOJ for abusing GSA. Keystone used the ONE manufacturer, GUARANTEEING Tremco the job. Period.
NO OTHER MANUFACTURERS WERE ALLOWED TO BID, NOR WERE THEY CONSIDERED.
Funds were set aside for the work in last year's capital budget.
Contractors will be Hauck Services for the high school restoration and David Maines & Associates for the middle school.
Work will start the day after students leave for summer vacation and should be essentially done by the time they return in the fall, Kline said".
What a complete and total abuse of taxpayer funds. The administrators who did this should be fired immediately.
Here they are: http://www.ldsd.org/Page/1
Write to her at: ssmith@ldsd.org.
Last Modified on June 14, 2012
Write to her at: ssmith@ldsd.org.
Write to her at: ssmith@ldsd.org.
Write to her at: ssmith@ldsd.org.
Check out: School Roofing Scams on your Browser, or on YouTube. There will be no shortage of Tremco investigations there.
This school district should have done their homework. the Superintendent certainly didn't.
Thank you for spending time with me here, and I am humbled to bring you the information through research.
Reject negativity in all forms, and always remember to keep looking "UP"
Respect,
Robert R. Solomon
Director, Roof Consultant's Alliance
Public Procurement Analyst
CCC 1325620
