How to Manage Head Start Purchases and Lower Supply Costs
Every company wants to save money. The more you can reduce your overhead, the more profit you will make. In the case of early education programs like Head Start, the more you can lower supply costs, the more programs you will be able to offer to participants. With all of the federal budget cuts that have hit Head Start programs in recent years, it pays to find new ways to manage purchases, reduce costs and lower overhead to create a reserve that might be able to see the program through despite cuts or delays on payments.
SupplySource is a discount supply company that helps non-profit human service organizations like Head Start to reduce spending through the purchase of wholesale janitorial supplies and office supplies. We also can help with big purchases like office equipment, kitchen appliances and outdoor playground equipment. The SupplySource program is FREE to join and we begin our services by providing a FREE cost analysis of your current spending habits. We help you to lower supply costs in a number of ways, giving you access to the kind of purchasing power that you would only get through a large corporation or chain of locations.
Three Ways to Control Costs
In addition to joining the SupplySource program, there are other things that can be done to help manage Head Start purchases. This article will focus on the three things that you can start doing now to help reduce lower supply costs in addition to the savings you will enjoy through the purchase of wholesale janitorial supplies and office items. All of these methods can be employed to help you strategically take control over your purchasing and overcome any type of federal budget cuts, sequestration delays or other funding difficulties.
#1 – Switch Your Brand
When it comes to buying copy paper, pens, printer ink and coffee for the office, name brands will always cost more than generic or non-national brands. Talk with your contact at SupplySource to find out about additional discounts available for buying non-brand items for your office, cleaning staff or janitorial service. In addition to the cuts you can make by buying in bulk via wholesale janitorial supplies, you will save even more by buying generic copy paper in bulk through one of our pre-vetted suppliers.
#2 – Purchase More Less Frequently
After you receive your FREE cost analysis from SupplySource, you will be able to clearly see how much you use of each supply item throughout the year. You can lower supply costs by making bigger purchases less frequently. So if you know that you go through 20 cases of copy paper in a year and 30 ink cartridges, you can save even more money by buying all of those supplies up front in one single purchase. Smaller purchases on a more frequent basis also lead to temptations by staff members to add on other items that you don’t need to the purchase order.
#3 – Designate One Authorized Purchaser
While it might seem to make sense to just have anyone re-order items when you need them, it makes more fiscal sense and helps you to manage Head Start purchases better if only one person if doing the buying. This is true not just in the case of buying wholesale janitorial supplies, but even when a one-time purchase needs to be made. Having a single person on staff that is responsible for making purchases can help you to lower supply costs throughout the year and stay in control over your inventory of cleaning and office items so you won’t ever run out when you need them most.
Start Cutting Your Budget Today
If you are interested in learning more about how purchasing wholesale janitorial supplies and office supplies through the SupplySource program can save you money and help manage Head Start purchases, give us a call toll-free at 1-866-248-4520. Our team can help you create a smart purchasing plan that will help to lower supply costs and prepare you and your program for any federal budget cuts that might otherwise impact the children who participate in Head Start and their families. Call SupplySource today and join. There is no cost to non-profit human service organizations like Head Start, so you’ve got nothing to lose. Most of the participants in our program save between 10-35 percent on supplies each year!
