Spokane Valley council authorizes joining KCDA, TIPS and Sourcewell purchasing cooperatives

The Spokane Valley City Council voted Jan. 21 to authorize the city manager to finalize and execute interlocal agreements with three purchasing cooperatives: the King County Directors Association (KCDA), the interlocal purchasing system TIPS, and Sourcewell.

Senior engineer Glen Ritter told council the cooperatives allow the city to use existing procurement contracts for selected goods and services, potentially shortening procurement timelines and saving money. Ritter said staff recommended joining all three cooperatives to streamline processes for specific types of purchases such as playground equipment and other capital items.

At least one local business owner spoke during public comment to ask whether the city would retain the ability to award work locally. The commenter said local businesses worry that cooperative contracts will shift spending away from neighborhood vendors. Ritter and council members noted that the interlocal agreements cover only certain items; they do not replace the city’s normal procurement processes for all goods and services. Ritter said some items, such as facility carpet cleaning, would still be competitively bid by the department responsible for those services.

Council Member Al Merkle and others said the council should pursue stronger local preference language in the city’s procurement regulations, and Merkle said he would bring that topic for future agenda consideration. Council Member Merkle and Council Member Merkle (sic) both expressed support for local contracting; staff noted state bidding rules limit local-preference options.

Council voted and the motion to authorize the city manager to execute the agreements passed unanimously.