Schuylkill County in December bought $5 million worth digital radio equipment for each of its 110 volunteer fire companies through Pennsylvania's COSTARS cooperative purchasing program.

COSTARS is provided by the Department of General Services for local public procurement units -- any political subdivision, such as a township, borough or county; any public authority, any tax-exempt nonprofit educational or public health institution or organization; any non profit fire, rescue, or ambulance company.Once registered as a member, they can find the best contracts for everything from food to backhoes among the companies registered as suppliers."COSTARS enables local entities to purchase off of pre-negotiated contracts," said spokesman Troy Thompson. "Those are pretty good prices based on the statewide purchasing power of the Commonwealth."Here's how it works:Members deal directly with the supplier, Thompson said. Once an entity becomes a member, its representative can log into the system to access contracts."You can go in and look at all of the contracts that are available and suppliers and prices," he said. "There's usually more than one supplier on a contract. You go with what you feel is the best deal."All of these contracts are pre-negotiated," Thompson said. "We've done all the legwork."Entities can join by calling 866-768-7827, or visiting the COSTARS website at

www.costars.state.pa.us.Businesses must register with the Department of General Services to become suppliers. They can do that by visiting

www.pasupplierportal.state.pa.us or calling 717-346-2676 or 877-435-7363. if the company is not based in Pennsylvania, it must also register with the Department of State, said marketing manager Bruce Beardsley.Once a company is registered, it must respond to bidding opportunities published on the COSTARS or PA eMarketplace webpage.Any company can register to be a supplier, no matter how small.