North Battleford City Hall is partnering with community non profits and Indigenous organizations to find savings and reduce costs for all parties. (File photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Angela Brown

Focus On Finance

City finding savings for all by partnering with non-profit groups and Indigenous organizations

Nov 24, 2019 | 3:31 PM

North Battleford City Hall has managed to reduce operational costs and find savings for all parties over the past year by forming partnerships with many community non-profits and Indigenous organizations.

“When we issue an RFP [Request for Proposals] and we see bids for goods or services for the city, we are asking those organizations to extend the same pricing to other organizations – that’s really non-profits, charities as well as other municipalities and Indigenous organizations. And, many of them are doing that,” Mayor Ryan Bater said. “So it’s benefiting the entire region. We’re really happy that it’s working out well.”

The city and its partners have together saved thousands of dollars in total by forming a large purchasing group for various initiatives, such as ordering products and services.

The city said these cost-saving partnerships help reduce expenses for all involved and are “keeping money in local businesses.”

“The organizations we are doing business with, say banking for example, we are asking them to extend the same pricing to other organizations and other governments within the area, and they are doing that,” Bater said. “The result is that a lot of organizations are seeing a savings as well.”

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The city’s recent banking partnership with Battle River Treaty 6 Health Centre in particular has helped both the city and the organization reduce costs significantly.

Other eligible organizations the city has worked with include the North Battleford Golf and Country Club, the Dekker Centre for the Performing Arts, Twin Rivers Curling Club, North Battleford City Kinsmen Band, and the North Battleford Downtown Business Improvement District (BID) have collectively saved “tens of thousands of dollars,” the city said.

The partnerships have helped find savings when ordering office and janitorial supplies from Bee-J’s Office Plus, as well as insurance savings through the city’s SUMAssure insurance policy, as an example.

The mayor said by developing these partnerships, the city is saving city tax dollars but also supporting many community organizations, including other municipalities and Indigenous organizations, in the region at the same time.

“It’s just about trying to do what we can to strengthen the finances throughout the Battlefords and area,” Bater said.

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angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow