Baltimore City Council
File #: 14-0189R    Version: 0 Name: Investigative Hearing CitiBuy Efficiency and Cost Savings to the City of Baltimore
Type: City Council Resolution Status: Adopted
File created: 9/15/2014 In control: Taxation, Finance and Economic Development Committee
On agenda: 3/19/2015 Final action: 4/27/2015
Enactment #:
Title: Investigative Hearing CitiBuy Efficiency and Cost Savings to the City of Baltimore FOR the purpose of requesting that the Department of Finance and the Bureau of Purchases report to the City Council on the current operations of the CitiBuy Program, the efficiency of the CitiBuy Program, and whether the procurement agreements used in the City of Baltimore are ensuring that supplies and goods are purchased at the best prices available.
Sponsors: President Young, Sharon Green Middleton, Brandon M. Scott, Carl Stokes, Helen L. Holton, Warren Branch, Bill Henry, William "Pete" Welch, Mary Pat Clarke, Rochelle Spector, Edward Reisinger, Robert Curran, James B. Kraft, Nick Mosby
Indexes: Baltimore City, CitiBuy, Cost-Savings, Efficiency, Investigative Hearing
Attachments: 1. 14-0189R 1st Reader.pdf, 2. Finance 14-0189R.pdf, 3. 14-0189R~2nd Reader
* WARNING: THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL, INTRODUCTORY COPY OF THE BILL.
THE OFFICIAL COPY CONSIDERED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IS THE FIRST READER COPY.
      INTRODUCTORY*
 
      CITY OF BALTIMORE
      COUNCIL BILL           R
      (Resolution)
                                                                                                                                                           
Introduced by: President Young
                                                                                                                                                           
 
 
      A RESOLUTION ENTITLED
 
A COUNCIL RESOLUTION concerning
title
Investigative Hearing CitiBuy Efficiency and Cost Savings to the City of Baltimore
FOR the purpose of requesting that the Department of Finance and the Bureau of Purchases report to the City Council on the current operations of the CitiBuy Program, the efficiency of the CitiBuy Program, and whether the procurement agreements used in the City of Baltimore are ensuring that supplies and goods are purchased at the best prices available.
body
 
Recitals
  
   In July of 2007, the City of Baltimore implemented  CitiBuy, a "comprehensive, bestofbreed" eprocurement system meant to streamline purchasing and reduce the complexity of procurement programs.  In the seven years since its implementation, the City has used CitiBuy to post all new procurement requests and required all vendors to register through CitiBuy.
 
  According to the Bureau of Purchases, 'best value' is defined "according to public procurement best practices: delivering the right good or service, at the right time, to the right place, from the right source, and at the right price".  In response to a 2009 City Council Investigative Hearing on CitiBuy, the Department of Finance and the Bureau of Purchases noted that CitiBuy reduced the backlog of requisitions and allowed for the completion of 90% of purchases off of an existing Master Blanket agreement within 7 days.
 
   Despite these efficiencies, questions remain about the cost efficiency of CitiBuy and the Master Blanket agreements used by City agencies for much of the daytoday office supplies purchased.  In Fiscal Year 2013, the Bureau of Purchase oversaw orders totaling $277 million with over 14,000 vendors through the CitiBuy system.  It is estimated that the number of vendors will reach 16,000 during Fiscal Year 2016 and that there will be an average of four responses to each formal solicitation for bids.
 
  With the amount of purchasing power expended by the City of Baltimore and the number of vendors seeking to do business with the City, it is important to ensure that the City of Baltimore is getting the best prices and services when conducting business for the Citizens of Baltimore.
 
 
  NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE, That the Council requests that the Department of Finance and the Bureau of Purchases report to it on the current operations of the CitiBuy Program, the efficiency of the CitiBuy Program, and whether the procurement agreements used in the City of Baltimore are ensuring that supplies and goods are purchased at the best prices available.
 
   AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be sent to the Mayor, the Director of Finance, and the Mayor's Legislative Liaison to the City Council.
 
 
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