Alliance Background

The Statewide Purchasing Alliance of New York (SPANY)

From One County’s Solution to a Statewide Movement

How It All Began

The Statewide Purchasing Alliance of New York (SPANY) was created to solve one of the most pressing fiscal challenges facing local governments today: the rising, unsustainable cost of retiree healthcare.

In 2021, Broome County took a bold step toward a new solution. Working hand-in-hand with County Executive Jason Garnar and his leadership team, Doug Bulman, Benefits Consultant and Founder of SPANY, designed and launched a groundbreaking cooperative purchasing model — the Broome County Purchasing Alliance (BCPA). This initiative was built around a simple but transformative idea: that local governments could pool their collective purchasing power to secure Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MAPD) coverage on far better terms than any one entity could achieve alone.

What began as a forward-thinking experiment quickly became a proof point for what’s possible when municipalities work together.

Early Success – A Proven Model That Works

The results in Broome County were swift and significant. In its first three years alone, the Broome County Purchasing Alliance:

  • 💰 Kept more than $20 million in local communities across Broome County and neighboring Upstate municipalities

  • 📉 Reduced retiree healthcare premiums by more than 25% annually

  • 🛡️ Protected retiree coverage and choice while significantly lowering the burden on taxpayers

This early success validated what SPANY has believed from the beginning: collaboration is the most powerful tool local governments have to control retiree healthcare costs without sacrificing quality.

As word spread, neighboring counties took notice. One by one, they joined the cooperative model — and with each new participant, the Alliance grew stronger and more effective.

From Pilot Program to Statewide Alliance

What started as a single-county pilot has now evolved into a statewide movement. Today, the program is administered by the Statewide Purchasing Alliance of New York (SPANY) and is available to towns, villages, cities, counties, and school districts across New York State.

Every new municipality that joins SPANY adds to the Alliance’s collective strength — expanding its negotiating power, deepening its savings potential, and creating even more value for every participating member. Importantly, all entities — large or small — share equally in the savings generated by the Alliance.

The results speak for themselves:

  • Chemung County: $2.3 million in cumulative MAPD savings

  • Tioga County: $3.2 million in cumulative MAPD savings

  • Lewis County: $4.2 million in cumulative MAPD savings

And these numbers continue to grow year after year as more local governments join the Alliance.

Why SPANY Works

The power of SPANY lies not only in its cooperative structure but also in its continuous evolution. Built for municipal employers and retirees, the Alliance is designed to deliver what matters most:

  • ✅ Stability – A guaranteed 7.5% maximum rate cap through 2027, providing predictable budgeting and long-term planning confidence.

  • ✅ Savings – Proven 20–30% reductions in retiree healthcare premiums, freeing up millions in local budgets.

  • ✅ Strength in Numbers – Each new member increases the Alliance’s leverage, driving even better pricing and benefits for all.

  • ✅ Shared Value – All participants, regardless of size, share equally in the savings and the purchasing power created by the Alliance.

  • ✅ Flexibility – Municipalities can participate without risk or long-term commitment, making entry simple and secure.

  • ✅ Seamless Coverage – Retirees keep the same or enhanced benefits with minimal disruption and full access to their providers.

  • ✅ Dedicated Partnership – A program built to support the needs of local governments and their retirees, not insurance carriers.

The Future of Retiree Healthcare in New York

What began as a local solution to a county-level challenge is now New York’s most powerful collaborative healthcare initiative. SPANY is reshaping the retiree healthcare landscape — stabilizing budgets, safeguarding retiree benefits, and keeping millions of dollars in local economies where they belong.

For every town, village, city, county, or school district, SPANY is more than a purchasing program. It is a proven path forward — one that replaces uncertainty with control, rising costs with shared savings, and fragmented efforts with a unified strategy.

⚡ SPANY: The Power to Control Retiree Healthcare
Together, we are transforming the future — one municipality at a time.

BCPA Eligibility and Participation Requirements

New York State governmental entities are eligible to participate, including (but not limited to) counties, cities, towns, villages, school districts, and housing, power, or water authorities, as well as community colleges.

There are no minimum contribution, participation, or size requirements.

To enroll, your entity must first register through our website. After registering, you may submit a letter of intent and your census via our secure document submission page. Please note: submissions must be received at least 90 days before your requested effective date.

*Important Note*

There are 2 Open Enrollment dates – January 1st and July 1st