In a move that should save thousands of dollars and countless pieces of paper each year, Broome County is moving it's bidding process on line.


The county is now participating in the Empire State purchasing group, which is New York state's on-line bid system. Businesses can view bids and requests for proposals from municipalities and agencies around the state, including Broome County.


"We're estimating savings to be between $5,000 to $10,000 in printing and mailing costs per year. I think that's a conservative estimate," said Broome County Purchasing Director John Flynn.


"People can access remotely and see all of our bid documents. They don't have to come down to the County Office Building, so it's really (about) ease of doing the transactions and getting included in the bids," said Broome County Legislator Stephen Flagg (R-Colesville).


There is no cost for the county to put it's bids on the site and if a business signs up as a member of ESPG, they can customize their account to receive automatic notifications on any bid release that meets their pre-set search criteria.