Cost Saving and Easy to Use Uniform Procurement Online Solution
Mike Fadden - Chief Executive Officer - Galls, LLC
When you are a metro police department with over 1,300 officers and 500 civilian staff members, outfitting your team is a challenge. For the City of Miami Police Department facing uniform allotment requirements, it became an overwhelming, inefficient program fraught with reporting issues, long lead times, and a challenging multi-level approval system.
The Lexington, Kentucky Police Department faced a different challenge. Their agency was changing their uniform from one brand to another, thus requiring officers to purchase multiple sets of new uniforms with a taxable annual cash allotment that barely would cover the switchover.
The Omaha Police Department of 900 uniformed officers and 100 civilians had been using an outdated system full of inefficiencies and layered in bureaucracy. Their voucher system required multiple approvals, trips to Central Supply and the GALLS store, only to wait for final delivery at Central Supply.
These are just a few examples of what public safety departments face annually when outfitting their officers with uniforms. Typically, agencies purchase uniforms through one of three systems. The quartermaster system, by which an agency houses a “store” where officers can pick up their required uniforms and equipment. The quartermaster stocks all the agencies' uniform needs, in all sizes, in one location. The cash market/allowance system provides officers with an “allowance” usually in their paycheck. Often this is taxable cash so the officer will lose 25% of their true allowance and buy at retail prices with no benefit of pricing based on the size of the agency. The third common uniform program is an allotment, in which every officer receives a uniform credit, usually at the agency’s preferred vendor.
As in any program, good intentions aside, problems crop up that can cost the agency time and money, as well as affect morale and community pride. Add into this mix manual approval requirements, unused inventory and logistical issues, uniform quality and appearance issues, misused funds, multiple suppliers, response time disruption, and the complex act of juggling outdated spreadsheets, invoices, and receipts with the inevitable errors.
The solution would incorporate state-of-the-art-technological online accountability. It would incorporate every officer’s rank, size, uniform requirements, and other pertinent information. It would automatically process requests, file approvals (even multi-level), provide visibility and reporting, be available 24/7, and give the agency more buying power with available budgets. If that solution sounds too good to be true, it isn’t and it does exist.
As a leading distributor of uniforms and equipment to public safety agencies, GALLS realized the inefficiencies in departments’ uniform programs were affecting the very mission that operators sign up for. More time and money were wasted with mixed results leading to frustration, low morale, and stretched budgets. GALLS initiated an online solution we call eQuip, to provide agencies a way to custom order uniforms and equipment while managing the entire process from procurement to accounting. Average savings end up around $370 to $500 per individual officer.
Since the launch of eQuip, GALLS has helped large and small police agencies, fire and EMS departments, federal and correctional agencies, and private security companies, develop their own unique eQuip solution that can be used anytime on any PC, laptop, or mobile phone. Currently, GALLS eQuip solutions serves 2,500 law enforcement agencies, 275 private security companies, 40 federal agencies, 1,500 fire departments and agencies, 200 correction departments and agencies, and 75 transit agencies. All of these public safety departments have increased their buying power, reduced costs, and man-hours by using eQuip.Each eQuip solution is specifically designed to meet the department’s needs. The City of Miami Police Department had many requirements for their program. GALLS eQuip solution was to manage their unit allotments for uniforms and dollar allotments for gear. eQuip was able to also systematically manage any changes in user’s roles and kept track of all the voucher allotments by administrators and the officers. The City of Miami was able to eliminate the need for a store and all the headaches associated with overstock, size availability, cost overruns, and administration.
For the officers of the Lexington Police Department, GALLS developed a non-taxable allotment on their eQuip site and an amount in taxable cash. The resulting mix gave Command the ability to fund the purchase of new uniforms, as well as, offer additional officer benefits. They were able to reduce the number of vendors, reduced turnover costs, improved their overall uniform image, and helped with the city-wide budgeting.
The turnaround at the Omaha Police Department was significant. Omaha PD’s new GALLS eQuip system allowed officers to order pre-approved gear directly online, greatly reducing time spent traveling back and forth from the store to Central Supply. In addition to reducing errors by allowing officers to purchase pre-approved gear, the Omaha PD found they were now saving an estimated $126,000.00 a year
GALLS is passionate and committed to serving our public safety community and the GALLS eQuip solution helps any size agency to remove inefficiencies and wasted money from their uniform programs. All professionals want is to have pride in their department, pride in their job, and pride in a good day’s work. GALLS eQuip helps departments and officers spend more time on the job in their communities, looking professional, and feeling confident in their important roles. GALLS eQuip has your department covered, head to toe.
Ready to save money and time? Contact GALLS for your free department assessment or call Jeff Bush at 859-351-2524 or email [email protected]
