The All-of-Government (AoG) Office supplies contract covers stationery, cleaning, hygiene and washroom consumables, ICT consumables, educational supplies, health and safety products, and milk and milk alternatives. Cost savings, value for money and greater efficiencies are a stronger focus of conversations this year. NZGP’s Collaborative Procurement team have been working with suppliers to workshop ways we can deliver savings.
Below is a combination of initiatives ranging from consolidating orders, examining your own agency’s usage and some swaps or hard changes NZGP has made to product ranges.
Consolidate orders
These small orders attract a small order fee of between $5-7.50. Consolidate where you can - especially with non-perishable products such as A4 paper, paper towels and tea and coffee.
Areas with savings potential
Here are some suggestions which agencies can target. Not all suggestions will be right for your agency, but some may work for you. Please contact your current supplier should you wish to trial any of these products or switch straight over.
A4 copy paper – 80gsm versus 70gsm
- This product is office supplies largest selling product. Discuss internally what grade/weight of A4 copy paper is needed for what type of output.
- Moving 80gsm over to 70gsm collectively would represent savings for government agencies and schools. NB 100% may not be achievable, but it demonstrates the savings we can make by examining external copying requirements.
- 70gsm copy paper is thinner and lighter and ideal for everyday printing jobs and internal documents. A high percentage of use is internal.
- 80gsm is more durable and has a higher quality finish, this makes it ideal for printing documents that require a professional look, or external documents.
- 75% of collective A4 copy paper purchases are in the 80gsm, 25% in 70gsm.
- Our PTAS contract suppliers Ricoh and Canon advise that copiers are designed to handle a 50-300 gsm range of paper.
Energizer batteries to Varta batteries – AA, AAA
- The products are made by the same manufacturers. Varta batteries are 40% cheaper and life span isn’t too dissimilar.
Milk and Beverages
Where possible, buy 2L over 1L of milk. Some agencies are buying a variety of teas ranging from 5-8 cents a bag to over 20 cents a bag. Order ranges can expand over time. Take this opportunity to reconsider your agency beverage needs.
Hard changes and product swaps NZGP has made
Pens, adhesives and notebooks
- Working with suppliers we have swapped out over 300 products from the catalogues.
A combination of direct product swaps, consolidation and mindful spending could achieve a 5% savings in this AoG contract based on 2023 spend.
The Collaborative Contracts team is here to help. If you have any questions or tips you’d like to share, contact the Office supplies team.
