Independent dealer Global Office Solutions has filed a lawsuit against the state of Michigan over claims that it had been shut out of a US$30 million office supplies contract.
According to the Detroit Free Press, Global filed the suit on 25 May alleging that it had been improperly shut out of the state's $30 million office supplies contract that was eventually awarded to OfficeMax.
Global said it would have been selected as the lowest bidder if the state had taken a 10 per cent preference into consideration due to the fact that the dealer is a disabled military veteran-owned business.
The Michigan office supplies contract ran into controversy last year when it was seen to be slanted in favour of the big boxes and when a former state purchasing official lobbied on behalf of OfficeMax.
Global Office Solutions, based at Novi near Detroit, is a member of a US$15 billion buying consortium and serves clients throughout the US and Canada through our distribution network of 42 primary nationwide distribution centres.
