Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1925-07-29
NINE THOUSAND POUNDS OF
COFFEE EVERY MONTH
Purchasing Routine of State Board
of Control TO Supply Institutions
interesting Fisure.

Interesting Figures
Nine thousand pounds of coffee
each month.
That's what the state of West vir-
ginia purchases for those it takes
care of in various state institutions
The figures are supplied by H. N.
Bradley, buyer for the state board of
control, who every three months
asks for bids on many commodities
used regularly by the state.
1t is a big bill for coffee that the
state pays regularly, and the bills
for beef, chip soaps and other things
are just as big, and it is Mr.. Brad
ley's business to make these bills Just
as small as possible. He has sue
ceeded by applying sound business
methods in the purchase of the states
supplies, and he has plans which he
hopes to effect soon that will save
even more for the state.
Figures Interesting
Some figures on the purchases
made at each contract period of three
months are interesting. They show
The large amount of stuff that is con-
sumed by the wards of West vir-
ginia.
The last purchasing period. cover
ing three months from March 81 to
June 80, saw 25,813 pounds of nut
cleo consumed by the state.
Purchases for the penitentiarv. the
Huntington, Weston and Spencer
state hospitals, the tuberculosis sani-
tarium at Hopemont and other small
er state institutions are made. Beef,
bacon flat backs. coffee, nut cleo and
soap chips are the principal commodi-
ties for which contracts are made bv
Mr. Bradley.
Figures for last year show that
beef for the state penitentiary cost
the state S13,160.70, while pork,
whichis also used there, amounted to
$4,000 The Huntington and Spen-
Ger hospitals consumed $4,000
worth of beef during the wear, the
Weston hospital $685., and the
tuberculosis sanitarium $1,000.
Pen Soap Bill $3.50
1t took $3.50 worth of chip soap
to keep the state penitentiarv and
its inmates clean during the soap bill
for Weston hospital amounted to
S1,679.
All these figures are interesting
simply because they give an indica-
ton of the huge amount of taxes that
go for simple necessity that the
states ward smust have. Buying
them is a gigantic task in itself. and
buying them at the cheapest and
most favorable prices is trick that
takes an expert.
Mr.. Bradley has his eyes. nose and
ears on the market. Tt is reflected
in the bids he receives each three
months. He can look over his sheets
of contract prices for past months
and tell what is going to happen to
the beef market.
Beef Price Drops
Beef, for instance, has dropped
almost cent and a halfper pound in
the last three months. When con-
tracts We're made in March the state
paid IL " cents per pound. When
contracts were made last week for
the new period beef was purchased at
less than 10 cents per pound When
the state pays nearly 100000 as its
beef bill, this reduction amounts to
big saving.
Mr.. Bradley has set every three
months as contract periods, because
he finds that it makes purchasing
simpler and combines to give the
state the best prices. A shorter per
lod is not favored, because it would
make too much work and there would
be little advantage ensuing. A long
er period would tend to raise the
prices, because sellers would not be
able to tell the trend of the market
and would add a little something to
their prices, in order to be on the
safe side and allow for a decided
change in the market which might af-
feet them adversely.
Coffee Going Up
In the last two or three years eof-
fee has been going up, Mr.. Bradley
points out, and he backs his state
ments with records of the contracts
he has made for coffee during that
period.
In order to get the best prices. Mr..
Bradley has done many things to en-
courage firms in this state and for
eign states to cut their bids to the
bone. He has even instructed them
IN ways they can slough off a cent or
two in their figures in order to Sc
cure the bushes.
The states business is large one,
a plum to the company that gets the
order. The bidding is keen and a.
bove board in every particular Only
one discrimination is made. Where a
state firm can give as good bid as
foreign concern, it is favored, but
not otherwise. The state takes the
best price, REGARDLESS of geography.
Specifications are sent out several
weeks before the contract date. They
are made exceedingly clear, specific
and exact. This is one of the secrets
of contracting by bids, Mr.. Bradley
declares. The seller must know what
the buyer wants without any doubt
OF any sort, then he knows whether
he can supply it and at what price.