FLOW-area Shared Service Agreement Helps Curb Rec Spending

The Wyckoff Township Committee passed a resolution Tuesday awarding 11 vendors with contracts for recreational equipment to be purchased for recreation departments in Wyckoff, Franklin Lakes and Oakland.

The contracts include nearly 200 items such as first aid kits, trophies and team uniforms.

Wyckoff served as the lead agency, securing volume pricing by pooling the purchasing power of united FLOW-area. This is the fifth year the towns have obtained such pricing through collaborative bidding.

All contracts were awarded to vendors with the lowest individual unit price on all the items. Prices on a third of this year’s items were the same or lower than last year’s bid, according to the township.

“In these challenging economic times, we must be more businesslike in our approach to government and look beyond our borders for creative ways to decrease the cost of government,” the Township of Wyckoff wrote in a press release.

Recreation is not the only department where Wyckoff officials have looked to cut costs through shared service agreements. FLOW-area police and fire department collaborations, as well as the recent shared service contract for garbage disposal, have helped municipalities pare back spending.

Township Administrator Bob Shannon wasn't sure just how much the most recent round of purchasing saved the municipalities.

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