LIVERMORE FALLS -SAD 36 is piloting a service center and racking up savings for 26 school districts throughout Maine with interest still growing.

Colleen Akerman of Winthrop is the woman driving the center, traveling the state to get school officials on board to help them save money. SAD 36 gets reimbursed 2 percent of the school systems’ savings now to replenish its cost, but after 180 days it would increase to 10 percent, Superintendent Terry Despres said.

Participating schools agreed to use the SAD 36 Service Center for 180 days. After that the systems could continue with the district or create their own.

“If they opt to create their own service center, training will be provided at a cost to each school district,” Akerman wrote in an update to SAD 36 directors Thursday.

Directors gave the go-ahead to create the model in January.

The service center is purchasing for 26 schools from Bangor to mid-coast area using a portal of GetBestBid, Akerman had said Monday.

“We’re able to document substantial savings,” she said.

Bids are e-mailed or e-faxed to Akerman and she enters the bids into the portal system with detailed information, closing date and contract information. Akerman then follows up with vendors by phone calls and e-mails to assure that they will be entering bids.

According to Akerman’s update, SAD 22 in the Hampden area sent a request for 14 fireproof filing cabinets. By using the bidding process, the district saved slightly more than $14,000 on that one purchase.

Mid-Coast School of Technology has sent several orders for bids and saw savings to the school of $7,253, Akerman wrote.

Five Town CSD located in Rockland sent in several orders as well, ranging from chairs to office supply products, and realized a savings of more than $2,000.

Traditionally, school systems would get catalogs, request proposals and then put money in the budget, Despres said. After the budget was approved, then the order would be sent out.

GetBestBid.com does the reverse of eBay, he said. Instead of bids going up, bids go down for a better price for schools.

Using a reverse auction, GetBestBid.com gives a school system leverage to buy supplies, according to SAD 36’s Web site. From technology to maintenance to office furnishings, the site has a range of vendors who compete pricewise to get the business.

“What we’re doing right now is working with 26 school districts trying to create a new way to think about purchasing and trying to create a new way of savings,” Despres said.

A bid request for 5,200 cases of paper is pending now, Despres said, that began with an order for 100 cases of paper. Bangor requested 1,800 cases, he added. The larger the order, the greater the savings is the desired result.

SAD 36 does not warehouse products or deliver. Districts are responsible for creating their own requests and arranging delivery and pickup. Akerman arranges for multiple drop off spots where school representatives pick up items.

Conceptually, the idea to develop a center has been in the works for two years, Despres said.

“The energy, scope and drive was Colleen,” Despres said. “She has worked like a workhouse. She’s traveled the state.”