Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

To Bid Or Not To Bid: That Isn't the Question!

  • By Duff Erholtz
  • 06/01/17

With all due respect to Mr. Shakespeare, the real question is determining whether or not to do your own bid, or to utilize another public agency’s cooperative agreement. Here’s what you need to know.

It starts internally with your school. Ask the following:

  • Do you understand your legal authority?
  • Is your legal counsel familiar?
  • Has your school utilized cooperative agreements before?
  • Does your board have to approve the use?
  • What does your political landscape look like?
  • Can goals or initiatives be achieved?

Next, evaluate the organizations:

  • How long has the cooperative been operating?
  • Does your school have to join the cooperative? Is there a fee?
  • Was the solicitation advertised?
  • What procurement laws does the cooperative follow in soliciting, evaluating and awarding contracts?
  • Has the cooperative received third-party audits, peer review or awards?
  • What is the level of customer service?
  • Does its website contain accessible and thorough documentation?

Finally, and most importantly, analyze the actual contract:

  • Does the awarded contract contain the specific solution you need?
  • When was the contract awarded, and when does it expire?
  • What are the qualifications, capabilities and financial health of the awarded supplier?
  • How is pricing addressed? i.e. percentage discount, ceiling-based pricing
  • Are the terms and conditions amendable?
  • Is there a rebate on the contract?

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

About the Author

Duff Erholtz serves as a Membership Development administrator at National Joint Powers Alliance. Contact him at [email protected] or visit njpa.co/NCPProadmap.

Featured

  • Rethinking K-12 Schools as a Continuous Learning Experience

    Most students move through three or more separate facilities during their K-12 journey, yet the built environments they encounter at each stage have traditionally been designed in isolation, with little continuity in spatial language, learning philosophy, or physical resources. Each new school is a reset with different layouts, learning models, expectations, and ways of moving through a building. The next generation of school design is making the case that the first day of kindergarten and the last day of high school can and should feel connected through common support systems and infrastructure in the physical environment.

  • St. Lucie County, Fla., Breaks Ground on New K–8 School

    St. Lucie Public Schools in St. Lucie County, Fla., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new K–8 school, according to a news release. The district partnered with Spiezle Architectural Group, Inc., for the design of the upcoming Ft. Pierce K–8 School, which comprises six buildings covering 215,000 square feet.

  • school building with glowing circuit board patterns

    AI Is Coming to Schools — But Most School Buildings Still Run on Institutional Memory

    As school districts race to introduce AI into classrooms, administration, and curriculum planning, another conversation is happening behind the scenes: How prepared are school facilities themselves for the operational demands AI will create?

  • Fellowes Expands Finish and Wall-Covering Options for Architectural Wall Systems

    Fellowes Architectural Solutions has expanded the materials library for its architectural wall systems with a series of new finishes and wall-covering options intended to provide architects and designers with additional choices for commercial interiors, according to a company news release.