 |
|
|
VICTORIA – The province and 45 school districts have formed a new buying group that will help districts save money on computer software and videos used to teach students, Education Minister Tom Christensen said today.
“By significantly reducing costs to school districts through group purchasing, districts can re-invest savings back into the classroom,” Christensen said. “When combined with an agreement with Microsoft, school districts will save up to $14 million a year.”
The Educational Resource Acquisition Consortium replaces a program where districts purchased videos and software through contracts negotiated by the province. Because districts did not have to make purchasing commitments under the previous program, suppliers were unable to provide better discounts. With the new consortium, districts make purchasing commitments during the process and, in return, suppliers provide maximum discounts.
The $14-million savings are a result of a renewed agreement with Microsoft that is not part of the consortium, and several agreements the consortium has signed, including a major one with Adobe software.
Government has provided $750,000 to help get the consortium up and running. To date, 45 school districts have joined the consortium, including seven of the eight largest districts. Membership in the consortium is voluntary.
Members of the new consortium will have more purchasing power, reduced prices and increased price protection. Other benefits include:
“Districts need to actively
participate in coordinated acquisition of software and videos to save dollars
while ensuring the best resources are available to students,” said Juleen
McElgunn, consortium steering committee chair and assistant superintendent for
the Central Okanagan school district. “Districts can also save money on related
teacher training and software support.” The consortium is also working with the Alberta government to obtain even greater savings on products that both education systems wish to acquire, such as computer anti-virus security and student learning software, known as integrated learning systems.
-30-
| ||||||||||||
