Front Row: Harry Bain, Regional Purchasing Coordinator, BMC ; William Schull, BRCPC Chair & Purchasing Agent, Anne Arundel County; Stephen Gordon, CPOC Chair & Director of Procurement, City of Alexandria; Standing: Edward Scott, Acting Director of Department of Central Services, Prince George's County; Floyd Holt, Deputy Director of Department of Central Services, Prince George's County (not pictured: Carl Kalish, Purchasing and Facilities Director, COG)

The cooperative purchasing committees of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) and the Baltimore Metropolitan Council (BMC) have agreed to work together to plan and create contracts for goods, services, and construction that would mutually benefit the two neighboring regions.  COG's Chief Purchasing Officers Committee and BMC's Baltimore Regional Cooperative Purchasing Committee signed the agreement on April 9, 2009 at a meeting in Largo, Maryland. 

Through the Chief Purchasing Officers Committee, participating agencies, school boards, authorities, and commissions combine bidding requirements resulting in larger volume and better unit pricing. 

The two regions expect to secure even better value for dollars spent on goods, services and construction through the new COG-BMC partnership.  The agreement will allow them to stretch work-force capacity among the local governments in the two neighboring regions.