SCAC-Endorsed Programs
Cable Franchise Program
Cellular Phone Cost Monitoring/Reduction
GASB 45/OPEB Program
Internet Auction of Surplus Equipment
NACo Prescription Discount Cards
Office DEPOT and Other U.S. Communities Purchasing Discounts
SCAC-endorsed programs provide unique services that are tailored to meet the needs of county government.
Participation in programs is optional, and each county must register/sign a service agreement with the designated provider in order to take advantage of their services.
Cable Franchise Program — Telecommunications Consulting Associates
The South Carolina Competitive Cable Services Act changed county government's role and relationship regarding the oversight of cable companies and new companies wishing to provide cable services. In 2006, SCAC entered into a service agreement with Telecommunications Consulting Associates (TCA) to assist counties in protecting their interests under this act and offer a wide range of additional services related to communications.
For more information, contact:
Clif Scott
SCAC Senior Staff Attorney
1-800-922-6081, ext. 307
Cellular Phone Cost Monitoring/Reduction — Cellution, Inc.
In May, 2008, SCAC entered into an agreement with Cellution. Through the agreement, counties may contract with Cellution at a favorable rate to have cellular phone charges reviewed for compliance with statutes, regulations and their service contract.
Cellution's comprehensive and customizable software allows its clients to dig deep into their bills by monitoring and capturing wireless details that cause overages, erroneous charges and spikes in usage. Cellution also monitors to see if contract services (e.g. text messaging) are used. If the services are not being used, Cellution can work with the county and the cell phone provider to amend the service contract by removing unused/unnecessary services.
For more information, contact:
Jim Carey
Chief Executive Officer
Cellution, Inc.
(803) 865-6752
GASB 45/OPEB Program — Gabriel, Roeder, Smith & Company
SCAC continues to assist counties in dealing with a new requirement to account for funds committed to other (than pension) post employment benefits (OPEB) for their employees.
In 2004, the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) published a new standard that requires both state and local governments to compute and to publish their amount of OPEB liability as it is "earned" by employees. Although the only requirement is to retain an actuary to compute the liability and include it in audited financial statements, it is anticipated that many state and local governments will begin to set aside funds for this purpose. Failure to pre-fund OPEB requirements could eventually degrade a government's bond ratings.
SCAC has entered into an agreement with Gabriel, Roeder, Smith & Company, a nationally-recognized actuarial firm experienced with GASB 45/OPEB requirements, to assist counties in determining their OPEB liabilities. Additionally, SCAC unveiled a new trust agreement in June, 2008, which will allow counties to pool their OPEB funds and invest them in instruments yielding the highest rate of return—in the same manner as state agencies.
For more information, contact:
Clif Scott
SCAC Senior Staff Attorney
1-800-922-6081, ext. 307
Internet Auction of Surplus Equipment — GovDeals
SCAC participates in a program for the internet auction of surplus equipment through GovDeals.com. GovDeals provides a platform for county and local governments to sell surplus equipment/assets and confiscated assets via online auction.
Since the program's inception in early 2004, assets valued at more than $7.8 million have been sold by South Carolina counties through GovDeals. The primary benefit provided by GovDeals is increased revenue from surplus equipment and assets—most clients claim 20-50 percent more revenue from assets and equipment than they had ever received via local public auction. Added benefits are reduced asset depreciation and reduced costs for storage and transportation, because GovDeals allows governments to sell equipment and assets immediately without providing long-term storage in anticipation of a local auction.
Questions? Contact:
Rebecca Murphy
Sales Representative, Mid-Atlantic Region
2034 Sharon Lane
Charlotte, NC 28211
(980) 254-8908
NACo Prescription Discount Cards
The National Association of Counties (NACo) Prescription Discount Program offers significant savings for uninsured and underinsured county residents. The program is available without charge to NACo member counties and their residents.
NACo Prescription Discount Cards are accepted by more than 57,000 pharmacies nationwide and provide savings from 13-35 percent for purchases at a local pharmacy and up to 50 percent for mail order purchases. Citizens do not have to complete enrollment forms, and counties are not required to maintain a database of card distribution. The cards can be distributed with a brochure and used immediately by those who need them.
Office DEPOT and Other U.S. Communities Purchasing Discounts
Since 1997, SCAC has participated in a purchase agreement program for Office DEPOT products sponsored through NACo and the U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance. The program allows counties to obtain most office products at discounts of approximately 60 percent below market price by using the purchasing power of a vast number of local governments to justify deep discounts. Through this program, even the smallest governmental entities can purchase office products at a cost lower than that obtained through competitive bid by the largest counties in our state.
U.S. Communities also provides a national purchasing forum for a variety of other products including auto and janitorial supplies and park/playground equipment.
U.S. Communities/Green is the one-stop source for public agency access to a broad line of environmentally certified products and services. This web link provides a variety of resources—including articles, papers and presentations; sample purchasing policies; training announcements; and a search engine for green products to help public agencies meet their procurement needs.
Questions? Contact:
Rob Lyon, CPPB
SCAC Procurement Officer
1-800-922-6081, ext. 342