LA PLATA COUNTY PROCUREMENT DEPARTMENT  ANNOUNCES INCREASED LOCAL PREFERERENCE

 

Durango, CO –.  The La Plata County Commissioners voted on March 23, 2010 to raise the local procurement preference for goods and services that are provided by local (La Plata County) vendors from 2% to 5% and established a regional procurement preference of 2%.  In addition, the Board raised the preference for environmentally preferable products and services from 2% to 5%. 

 

In 2009, the Board of County Commissioners asked that La Plata County staff coordinate a review of the local/environmental preference to gauge the public sentiment about the practice and several outreach efforts about local preference were undertaken.

 

    A citizen survey was conducted over approximately a five-week period in July and August 2009.  A total of 398 people responded to the County’s survey to gauge citizen perspective on the County’s local preference/environmental preference in procurement.  Respondents were overwhelmingly in favor of the current 2% local and environmental purchasing preference policies.  The vast majority were also in favor of increasing the preference. In addition, 82% (or 329) of the survey’s participants agreed with the environmental purchasing preference and 58% (or 234) people wanted to see it increased.

 

    Procurement staff hosted two open house sessions on the local preference policy in January 2010.  An excellent turnout produced an overwhelming response in support of increasing the local preference amount. 

 

The regional preference of 2% encompasses the Region 9 Economic Development District and includes La Plata, Montezuma, Archuleta, San Juan (Colorado) and Dolores counties. The Board also established a dollar amount cap of $100,000 when applying local preference and a $40,000 cap when applying regional preference. 

 

For additional information, please contact the La Plata County Procurement Office at

(970) 382-6432.