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Bids for 2025 Spring Commodities were opened on March 6, 2025. The bid tabulation is available on the SHACOG Purchasing Alliance website at, www.shacog.com, for the following products:
• Road Aggregates • Liquid Asphalt • Bituminous Surfacing Materials • Line Painting and Reflective Glass Beads • Guide Rails and Posts, Components and Installed • Traffic Signs and Sign Posts • Thermoplastic Pavement Markings • Frames, Rings & Grates – Cast Iron and Steel • Precast Concrete Inlets and Risers • Manhole Inserts • Plastic Pipe • Swimming Pool Chemicals • Wastewater Treatment Chemicals • Fertilizers • Weed Killer • Ballfield Mixture • Top Soil • Hardwood Bark Mulch • Wood Carpet • Mushroom Compost Please remember that you must formally accept the bids to secure the prices offered by the vendors. It must again be emphasized that each municipality is responsible for accepting these bids. The joint purchasing format employed to secure these bids does not result in a master contract. Therefore, formal notice of bid acceptance must be issued to the vendors by your community in order to secure the quoted prices. This should be done by May 16, 2025. Please be reminded that absent notice by this date the vendors are not obligated to honor these prices. Following through with this formal award procedure is of particular importance due to the many conditions imposed on their bids by the various vendors. This is especially true concerning product availability and surcharges, which are specifically prohibited by our specifications. Although placing a condition on a bid technically represents a counteroffer and not a bid, the final decision about what to do with a vendor’s offering is that of each municipality. Since price will often prevail regardless of any condition, to preserve that price, notice of acceptance of the bid by the stipulated date is critical. Remember, this is a contractual process. The bid – or offer – by the vendor is the first part of that process. Municipal acceptance is the second part. Do not, however, confuse acceptance with the actual placement of an order. Unless otherwise indicated, these prices are firm for a one year period. Since these are not requirements contracts, the municipality is not obligated to purchase anything. Nonetheless, that should not preclude notifying the vendor that its bid was accepted to “lock in” the price. The municipality is then protected should a purchase be required in the future. A sample letter to achieve this end is provided. Of course, if the municipality wants to place an order, a purchase order should simply be sent with the notice of award. You are encouraged not to delay the issuance of these notices. Please send copies of these letters to the SHACOG office. Should you have any questions or require additional information concerning the above, please do not hesitate to contact the SHACOG office (contact Information below) 2600 Old Greentree Road Carnegie, PA 15106-3857 Email: [email protected] Phone: 412-429-1130 Fax: 412-429-3830 Due to the dramatic shifts in funding policies at the Federal level, local college students are having their federal internships terminated. In response, Local Government Academy is working with their academic partners to identify summer internship opportunities with Municipalities, Councils of Governments, Municipal Authorities, and Non-Profit organizations. If eligible, financial support is available to ensure students can gain hands-on experience while contributing high-quality work. To be considered, you must be able to offer:
This initiative, backed by both municipal and academic partners, is dedicated to ensuring that future public servants have continued access to valuable, hands-on experience. If you can help LGA meet this important call for help, please use the following link to submit an application: https://www.localgovernmentacademy.org/federal-internship-replacement-program/  The QVCOG is proud to announce that it has partnered with Amazon Business along with the other Allegheny County COGs to provide a 2-year trial (free of charge) of Business Prime for any interested member municipality. Business Prime unlocks fast, free two-day shipping for most items available on Amazon. Additionally, Allegheny County municipalities will receive exclusive discounted pricing for thousands of commonly ordered items such as printer ink, copy paper, and more! Those interested in participating in the Program simply need to follow the instructions below. I personally registered the QVCOG for an account, and it only took a few minutes. Program Benefits:
How to enroll:
Demo enrollment videos: Amazon Business Account Amazon Business Prime Account Amazon Account Presentation slides can be accessed here. Account training video: Amazon Business account tools Additionally, I have done my best to preemptively address questions that you may have regarding this program below: Question: What if my municipality already has an Amazon Business membership? Answer: When communities that have paid for Prime enroll in this program and accept the free Prime, they will receive a prorated refund for what they have not used of their current, paid Prime membership. Question: What are the different categories of Business Prime Membership? Answer: Business Prime is usually determined by number of users. Participating municipalities can select a membership tier for up to 100 users. Note, each user would fall under the umbrella of your account, but would have their own login, favorites, etc. For QVCOG member communities, the lowest tier for up to 3 users would probably work just fine, but the choice is ultimately your own. When it’s renewal time and the decision is made for each member to pay for their own membership, the current prices are below: Pricing (after trial) $129 up to 3 users $349 up to 10 users $779 up to 100 users Question: Will my municipality be charged after the trial if the Business Prime membership isn’t cancelled? Answer: Yes, much like any trial, after the two year trial of service, the credit card on file will be charged for an additional year of service. Amazon can’t automatically opt you out of your membership before the end date at this point. It is the responsibility of each participating municipality to cancel their individual membership before the trial end date if they do not want to be charged and continue the Business membership. According to our Amazon Account Representatives, participating communities will receive numerous emails/alerts warning them that they will be charged. If you happen to miss all of those alerts and are charged, per our Account Representatives, it’s easy to cancel and get a refund. Question: Is there a chance that the “free” Business Prime membership could be extended for an additional year(s)? Answer: Yes, there is a chance that participating communities will receive access to this membership at a “free” or reduced rate after year 2. The QVCOG and the 6 other Allegheny County COGs will be working with the Amazon team to determine if the trial of the Program and County-wide municipal expenditures meet a threshold of qualifying our cohort for a rebate to pay for the additional year(s) of the membership. We should have a clearer idea of this later in 2026. Question: Who are my Amazon Business for Local Government Account Representatives? Answer: Every participating community will have access to an account representative(s) that can help you with your account, orders, etc. Their contact information can be found below. Should you have any questions regarding the program, benefits of Amazon Prime, etc. I would encourage you to contact either Bre or Tessa. Breanne Spring Account Executive, Government | Amazon Business Phone: 878-788-7771 Email: [email protected] Tessa Sullivan Customer Advisor I, Government Phone 617.655.8814 Email: [email protected]m  The QVCOG is happy to report that after many months of planning and waiting for the weather to break, five regional intersections are currently being outfitted with Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) cameras, affiliated hardware, and software. This Project has been paid for through the Keystone Communities Program which was initially awarded to the QVCOG August of 2023. Under the guidance of the QVCOG’s Police Chiefs Committee, quotes were solicited and awarded to the Surveillance Group for the physical infrastructure and PlateSmart for the affiliated software which makes the whole networked system work. The intersections that will be outfitted with the cameras can be found below:
The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC) is partnering with the State Transportation Commission and PennDOT in order to promote the 2025 Kick-off Public Comment Period for the 2027 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The 2025 Public Comment Period for the TIP update begins Monday, March 3, and continues through Wednesday, April 30. During the Public Comment Period, Pennsylvanians can submit feedback by taking the Transportation Survey, emailing comments to [email protected], or calling 717-783-2262 from 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM to request a printed copy of the Survey, or to complete the Survey by telephone. SPC and PennDOT will review and use the public survey results to help identify transportation needs and potential projects in the SPC Region during the development of the SPC Region’s 2027 TIP. This survey allows respondents to submit a transportation issue or need on an interactive map and answer a series of questions about the importance of transportation investments in our communities, such as Route 65. Please take the survey and distribute the link to your network.  During its February 19th meeting the QVCOG Board of Delegates unanimously approved a financial agreement with the Pennsylvania Resources Council (PRC) to bring a Hard to Recycle Event to the QVCOG region in 2025. The event has been tentatively scheduled for Saturday, October 18th from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The specific location has not been finalized as of yet, but prior events have taken place at the Quaker Valley High School and the Leetsdale Industrial Park. Hard to Recycle events provide responsible and convenient disposal for items that are not eligible for curbside recycling. At these events, individuals have been able to recycle items such as e-waste, cell phones, polystyrene, Freon-containing appliances, tires and more. These events require all participants to register in advance. Additional details of the event, including disposal fees and registration details, as well as the specific location will be available in the coming weeks.  During its February 19th meeting the QVCOG Board of Delegates unanimously approved an agreement with Tree Pittsburgh to develop the parameters for a tree adoption event for the QVCOG region. Approximately 100 young trees will be made available exclusively to residents within QVCOG member communities. All available trees and shrubs will be within 2-gallon containers that measure 8 3/4” in diameter and 8 1/2” deep and should fit in most vehicles. The event will take place at the Avalon Borough Pool parking lot on Saturday, April 12th from 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Add some beauty to your yard with trees from Tree Pittsburgh! Register at this link today.This is a registration-based event made exclusively available to residents within QVCOG communities. Additional details regarding this event, including the available species of trees, can be found within the registration link above.  The Pittsburgh Food Policy Council (PFPC) invites QVCOG municipalities to participate in their 2025 Municipal Food Systems Survey! The objective of this survey is to learn more about Allegheny County municipal food-based policies and processes. Responses will be used to identify, strengthen and address future food system policies and programs of the Pittsburgh Food Policy Council. The Municipal Food Systems survey was developed by faculty at the University of Virginia, and adapted by PFPC to be relevant to Allegheny County. It was first administered in 2019, and the results informed the Greater Pittsburgh Food Action Plan (GPFAP). Below you will find a copy of the 2019 Municipal Audit key findings and a one-pager of the GPFAP findings. Your participation in this survey is highly valued. Those who complete the survey by January 23rd, 2025 will be entered into a raffle to win one of four (4) $25 visa gift cards. You will need to provide your email and complete the survey to qualify for the raffle. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the survey or if you need assistance with filling out the survey, please reach out to PFPC's Project Manager, Sarah Buranskas ([email protected]) or PFPC'S fellow, Shanella Palmer ([email protected]). 
 Through a grant from the Arconic Foundation, Allegheny County Conservation District is developing a new environmental and social mapping resource. The resource is meant to be a one-stop-shop for grant applicants to view spatial data and identify areas that meet various grant eligibility criteria. Municipal officials and staff are the primary audience for the resource. QVCOG member communities are encouraged to participate in a brief survey to help ACCD better understand the specific data and mapping needs of municipalities in the region. The survey has 5-6 questions which should take about 5-10 minutes to complete. Survey responses by Friday, January 24th. You may access the survey here.  The Bond/WAPMM Local Government Internship Program is a partnership between the Western Association of Pennsylvania Municipal Management (WAPMM) and the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA), University of Pittsburgh. It is funded by an endowment through the University of Pittsburgh established by former Municipal Manager and GSPIA Alumnus, Marshall W. Bond. Although it is available at no financial cost to the successful municipal applicant, municipalities are encouraged to supplement the endowment stipend. This opportunity has been developed to help identify, encourage, and train up future municipal managers. If you have a challenging summer project(s) with which you may need assistance, that exposes a public administration graduate student to the ins and outs of a full-service municipality, please consider making an application. The Program Guidelines and Application can be found below.
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