With state and local government IT buying on the rise, government resellers can look forward to stronger support from distribution. Major distributors are pumping more resources into their government programs which provide resellers with discounted pricing, bid support, financing options and other specialized services as public-sector purchasing becomes a more significant portion of their business. Fueling the trend is a continuing shift of program authority and responsibility from the federal government to state and local agencies. As state and local governments scramble to purchase technology to handle new tasks, the lion's share of those sales is going to local resellers, according to industry representatives.
Distributors expand government division staffing.
New E-rate and leasing programs emerge. Indeed, market research indicates that state and local agencies are doing plenty of buying. My state and local business grew 80 percent last year. Reavis added that ballooning state and local demand also has prompted technology manufacturers to embrace the distribution channel in an effort to take advantage of relationships that resellers have forged with government agencies. And the resellers have to be thrilled if they are focused on state and local because it is a brand new day.