The Minnesota-based National Joint Powers Alliance (NJPA) recently awarded Siemens Industry Inc.’s Building Technologies Division with a four-year national contract for the procurement of facility security services. The contract allows the agency’s more than 50,000 members to streamline the procurement process by leveraging a pre-competed national contract, saving members time and money. It also facilitates project planning and startups, as Siemens can work directly with the individual members.
NJPA is a municipal contracting agency that has the legislative authority to nationally procure contracts, equipment, and service opportunities for its members. Member agencies include all government, higher education, K-12 education, non-profit, and all other public agencies located throughout the U.S. Leveraging contract purchasing solutions nationally enables contracted suppliers and member agencies to work smarter and more efficiently as they do business with one another. Approximately $1 billion in products are purchased annually through NJPA contracts.
For this particular facility security contract, NJPA assessed bids from a number of contenders. Breadth and quality of products and services offered, industry success and experience, competitive pricing, highly developed sales force, and extensive sales and service infrastructure were all important considerations.
“Certainly, price was a consideration in our selection, but so too were quality and credibility,” says Tony Glenz, NJPA contract manager. “Siemens earned high marks in all categories. We also liked the structure of its branch office organization, which will allow the company to respond to our members on a local level with qualified sales and service support.”
A systems manufacturer as well as a solutions integrator in enterprise security, Siemens’ Building Technologies Division partners with public safety, emergency managers, and loss prevention professionals to provide turnkey solutions. Its security offerings include video surveillance and advanced analytic systems, access control systems, intrusion detection, fire alarm, monitoring services, advanced mass notification and emergency communications, command and control/PSIM, state-of-the-art IP connectivity, and integration.
“We look forward to working with the members of NJPA on this unified purchasing alliance,” says Rob Welton, national business development manager at Siemens Industry, Inc. “All organizations, whether defined as a city, non-profit, or educational entity, are looking for ways to get the best products in a timely fashion, without duplicative expense. Siemens and the NJPA contract accomplish this with fire and security technology for NJPA members in a world-class way.”
More information on the National Joint Powers Alliance can be found at www.njpacoop.org.
