Letters to the Editor
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
‘Schools Pay Big Markup For Supplies’
Procurement is a decision-making process, not an administrative process [New York, “Schools Pay Big Markup For Supplies,” October5,2007].
Whenever the administrative process, which is supposed to support the procurement process becomes a substitute for the reasoned decision-making so necessary to proper procurement, the inevitable result is overpriced goods and services. There are, of course, situations where ordering from a predetermined supplier can save overall costs associated with paperwork and time. And creative procurement strategies, including but not limited to guaranteed annual total dollar orders to suppliers in exchange for most favored pricing of items, can serve the best interests of purchaser and supplier alike. The real question is whether the New York City Board of Education has optimized its spending power through advantageous contractual deals with its suppliers, or whether the Board has restricted the decision-making powers of those who should be obtaining the most “bang for the buck” with the taxpayers’ dollars.
KENNETH RYESKY
East Northport, N.Y.
