Gwinnett to bid for fuel through new 6-county cooperative

Gwinnett County announced Thursday it will begin a bidding process for fuel as part of the newly formed North Georgia Fuel Cooperative.

The cooperative, composed of 14 area governmental agencies, hopes to use its purchasing power to secure reduced pricing for up to 24 million gallons of fuel. A solicitation for bids is expected to be made by the end of the month, with a bid deadline of May 21.

Expected total savings could be nearly $1 million. Gwinnett alone is expecting to save $100,000 in fuel costs through this process, according to county administrator Jock Connell.

When bidding is completed, said Gwinnett County purchasing director Scott Callan, each agency will decide whether to continue with the process or pull out to solicit better deals on its own.

Cooperative members include: Gwinnett County and Gwinnett Schools, Fulton County, Cobb County and Cobb Schools, DeKalb County and DeKalb Schools, Forsyth County, Jackson County, and the cities of Atlanta, Covington, Gainesville, Marietta and Smyrna.

The initiative has sparked the interest of at least one other area agency. Jennifer Alford, purchasing manager for Paulding County, who attended Thursday’s news conference, said her department has been evaluating fuel purchases for some time and wants to see the cooperative fares before joining in.