This morning, SunTrust Bank presented Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett with a $446,343 E-commerce card rebate check. Knox County earned the nearly half-million-dollar rebate from the use of its E-commerce cards during the 2013 calendar year. This amount surpassed 2012’s rebate by more than $128,000, a 40 percent increase.

“I appreciate the work of Knox County Purchasing Program Manager Janice Orr and the rest of the purchasing department for their help in ensuring such substantial savings for Knox County’s taxpayers,” said Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett.  “The E-commerce card rebate program shows there is a real-dollar value to efficiency in government.”

One unique impact on the 2013 rebate was smart construction planning with Carter Elementary School. Since the construction of Carter Elementary was managed by Knox County staff, and thanks to a partnership with Knox County Schools, technology purchases were put on the card resulting in an additional $100,000 in rebates.

Over the past three years, Knox County has received more than one million dollars in rebates. The Knox County Purchasing Department identifies opportunities to utilize the cards for various county transactions with third party vendors, and has saved Knox County millions through cost-avoidance by consolidating the E-commerce card program.