Office supplies is a broad classification when it comes to procurement. Thank goodness for keywords! Asking what can be included in "office supplies" is kind of like pondering, "How long is a piece of string?" Many businesses which sell office supplies, likely will also offer office equipment, machinery, technology, furniture, and associated services.

This is a competitive, fast moving, multi-billion dollar marketplace. If you're reading this, it's likely you already understand how changes through digital, warehouses, and online providers have seriously altered the office supplies industry.

If your business is challenged with these stresses, what's there to do? Taking down your shingle doesn't sound very appealing. Unless they already have a foothold in government work, businesses wisely turn towards the public sector market. Generally, office supplies have a short lifespan on bid > award, so it's prudent to be aware of opportunities early, have a process in place, and be agile.

Although we can drill down to any degree, rather than scrutinize every "office supplies" item imaginable, we researched three of the more common purchases: ink, toner, paper. Not unlike most offices in the private sector, government offices are constantly in the market for ink, toner, and paper.

On that note (we didn't look at Post-it notes here), we queried our database to look at government procurement/bid request activity for the past 365 days. Our research unearthed 1,201 bid requests in the U.S. and Canada. In addition to paper, ink, and toner, as a special bonus, we included bid requests that specifically requested "office supplies". Pens, pads, printers, folders, envelopes, etc., etc., are for another day.

To see more details on these, or for information on procurement of any "office supplies" item not covered, contact us at 1.888.808.5356 or visit www.BidPrime.com.