Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Cooperative Procurement for Higher Ed

  • By Matt Peterson
  • 11/01/18

College and university leaders face the daunting task of navigating through rules and regulations that hinder the procurement process. This usually lengthy process requires committing limited time and resources. Then there’s the challenge of finding qualified bidders. Now, higher education institutions have the option to turn to cooperative purchasing networks to maximize resources and expedite the process.

These networks owe their growing popularity to their variety of labor-based and service offerings. Cooperative purchasing happens when one public agency competitively bids and establishes a contract available for other government agencies to “piggyback,” or adopt as their own. The combined leverage of multiple agencies’ budgets creates a price advantage and the piggybacking agency saves time and resources by leaning on existing contracts.

While traditional construction procurement has a reputation for being expensive and inefficient, purchasing construction services through a co-op can streamline this inflexible process. By utilizing contracts through co-ops, colleges and universities have access to competitively awarded local contractors who are available to start work immediately. They also see efficiencies across their schools increase as operational processes related to procurement become streamlined. Schools of all sizes and types save time and effort and avoid disputes and project delays, all while increasing budgetary control on small-to-large construction projects.

Acquiring goods and strategic services through cooperative purchasing networks is now regarded as a best practice. By enabling colleges and universities to trade the time and expense of traditional procurement for speed, efficiency, and the power of group buying, cooperative networks are offering a new alternative to decades-old processes.

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management November/December 2018 issue of Spaces4Learning.

About the Author

Matt Peterson handles Business Development – National Cooperatives for Gordian Group. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Abstract tech network data connections with orange, blue glowing dots, lines

    3 Trends for Higher Education to Stay Ahead of in 2026

    As universities enter the new year, the question is no longer whether digital transformation is necessary, but how quickly institutions can convert technological potential into strategic advantage.

  • Campus Safety Requires Using Every Resource Available

    Across the U.S., school and campus leaders are facing a security landscape that has changed dramatically over the past decade. Incidents on school property have increased in recent years, with several consecutive years setting record totals. According to analysis of data by CNN, dozens of shootings now occur on school grounds annually across K-12 and higher education environments.

  • Vanderbilt to Partner with ABM for Campus Preservation and Modernization

    Vanderbilt University recently announced that it has selected ABM Performance Solutions for a preservation and modernization project at its New York City campus, according to a news release. ABM will deliver its end-to-end ABM Performance Solutions (APS) model to manage critical operations during renovation and maintenance.

  • Photo credit - Chuck Coates

    Florida District Modernizes Central Energy Plants at Two High Schools

    Flagler Schools, a public school district in Flagler County, Fla., recently partnered with Matern Professional Engineering to modernize the central energy plants at two of its high schools, according to a news release. The project is part of a larger, district-wide effort to reduce energy costs and operational expenses.