County Launches New Business Registry to
“Think Dutchess” for Local Products & Services
Poughkeepsie, NY … As part of the County’s efforts to expand opportunities for local vendors to do business with Dutchess County Government, County Executive Marcus J. Molinaro has announced the launch of Dutchess County’s new “Local Business Registry,” an online registration system for Dutchess County-based businesses interested in providing goods or services to County Government. The County will use the registry as a resource to procure local goods and services whenever possible under county, state and federal procurement guidelines. Local businesses can learn more about the registry and sign up here.
Dutchess County Executive Molinaro said, “Our goal has been to purchase more goods and services from local businesses to support our local economy while still ensuring we are getting the maximum quality at the lowest possible cost for our taxpayers. This new Local Business Registry will be a portal for those local businesses who wish to sell goods or services to provide information about what they have to offer. We want to ‘THINK DUTCHESS’ whenever possible and support our local businesses.”
The LBR allows local businesses to easily register and provide updates about the products and services they provide. “Local business” is defined as any operating, commercial entity physically located in Dutchess County that employs at least one full-time employee. Dutchess County Government departments will utilize the LBR for purchasing decisions that do not require formal bids (purchases under $5000) or when requesting quotes for purchases ranging from $5,000 to $19,999. (Purchases totaling $20,000 and above are subject to formal bidding process, which vendors can use the Empire State Municipal Purchasing Group “BidNet” bid notification system.)
Chris Barclay, Dutchess County’s Director of Central Services, noted, “County procurement policies are subject to the complicated rules and regulations of New York State General Municipal Law that are designed to prohibit favoritism and protect taxpayers, but can sometimes make it difficult to use local vendors. With the new LBR and other procurement policy changes, County Executive Molinaro has sought a more proactive approach to making local purchases easier whenever we can, while conforming to NYS law and ensuring our taxpayers are getting the best deal for their tax dollars.”
The new LBR complements the County’s recently updated Procurement Policy, which features a “Local Business Consideration” that gives local businesses that submitted a quote the opportunity to match the lowest price. The County’s full Procurement Policy including the Local Business Consideration can be found on the County website here.
Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce President Frank Castella Jr. said, “THINK LOCAL FIRST has long been the mantra for the DCRCOC, so we are very pleased to help Dutchess County Government go the extra mile to insure that as many county government purchases as possible are local. We will encourage all of our members to register their products and services in the new directory.”
The DCRCOC will promote the County’s new Local Business Registry to its membership at the August 19th Contact Breakfast and will have a link to the registry on their chamber website.
