GovDeals.com Profile
GovDeals is based out of Montgomery, Alabama. It was founed in 1999 as a subdivision of the company known as Informs, which has provided custom purchasing and procurement software solutions to government and private industry for over 30 years.
GovDeals.com Services
Typically, disposition of surplus assets and property such as police vehicles, maintenance equipment, computers, office equipment, and seized and confiscated property would be handled at the county level in an arranged live public auction or sealed bid process.
GovDeals.com will help counties get the most money out of surplus and confiscated equipment by offering them to a wider base of currently active and available buyers through the Internet. This translates directly into higher values achieved for those assets. To ensure that a desired price is obtained, sellers can use a “Reserve Bid, Bid Watch, and Auto Bid” features, allowing local governments to avoid traditional problems such as sealed bids low prices.
Time-sensitive items can be auctioned immediately, as they become available. If desired you can sell your items immediately as they are declared surplus, straight from your office, warehouse or surplus yard. Potential buyers can also view items and conduct their bidding in a comfortable environment that fits their schedule. Sellers are given the ability to provide accurate descriptions with colorful digital images to view on the user-friendly GovDeals Web site.
In short, GovDeals.com helps increase the potential profit of materials sold while reducing the common costs attributed to local transportation, preparation, and storage of surplus and confiscated materials. The bottom line is more money available for other county projects, and money returned to the citizens. It reduces storage costs, eliminates the threat of depreciation of materials, and exposes assets for sale to the vastness of an Internet audience.
GovDeals.com Program Details
Customer service is handled quickly and efficiently. GovDeals will go to your location and train your designated staff in listing items successfully on their Web site. These trainers will teach all stages of the selling process, from taking digital images to composing accurate, succinct and key descriptions of items. Their personnel are available for continued assistance and support beyond this initial training period as well when circumstances require. There is also an on-call staffed help desk that can also assist in any real-time concerns that may arise.
There are no licensing fees, and no monthly recurring costs. There are no minimum quantities, monthly or annually, that need to be sold in order to participate. All fees are tied directly to auction activity and revenue only. GovDeals will invoice each participating member a fee of seven and one-half percent (7.5%) of the winning (closed) bid, but not less than $5.00, for any item that is sold as a result of having posted it to the GovDeals Web-site. Single items sold in excess of $100,000 have a reduced percentage rate for the amount that exceeds $100,000.
All items sold during the month are invoiced at the end of the month with full itemization. Payment upon receipt of invoice. There is no cost if sale is not completed (i.e. payment received at conclusion of auction). Clients can use other auction approaches (i.e. sealed bid, traditional, online, etc.) but cannot be used simultaneously with an active GovDeals auction. GovDeals.com does not currently support Reverse Bid auctions.
All that is required to start is a seller’s agreement with GovDeals, the designation of key personnel that will assist in the auction effort, a digital camera capable of taking a 1MB or smaller photo, Internet connectivity, an established method on where to direct buyers to where payments are currently being accepted, the ability to issue receipts for purchases, and an established place for pick-up of purchased items. Printed and electronic directions to these locales are recommended to avoid confusion for buyers.
Ohio counties that have participated with GovDeals already include Adams, Ashland, Clark, Cuyahoga, Delaware, Erie, Franklin, Geauga, Hardin, Henry, Huron, Licking, Lorain, Lucas, Mercer, Montgomery, Ottawa, Paulding, Portage, Richland, Van Wert, and Warren.
For more information please click here or contact:
Carson McCord
Regional Sales Representative
GovDeals.com
5913 Carmichael Place
Montgomery, AL 36117
615/846-1150 or 866/377-1494
FAX 334-387-0519
Tom Strup
Deputy Director of Operations
County Commissioners Association of Ohio
209 East State Street
Columbus, OH 43215-4309
614/220-7978 or 888/757-1904 x 312
FAX 614/221-6986