Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Cooperative Procurement for Public Purchasing

  • By Matt Peterson
  • 11/01/18

The procurement process for public institutions, like schools, requires careful navigation and patience for dealing with rules and regulations. Procurement also requires spending time and resources that are often limited. Now, school districts have the option to turn to cooperative purchasing networks to get the biggest bang for their buck.

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 using 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, school districts 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. School districts of all sizes and types save time and effort, avoid disputes and project delays, all while increasing budgetary control on construction projects.

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

This article originally appeared in the School 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

  • California District Debuts New High-School CTE Center

    The West Sonoma County Union High School District (WSCUHSD) in Sebastopol, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new CTE Center at Analy High School, according to a news release. The district partnered with Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) for the facility’s design and GCCI for its construction, and funding came from local Measure A bond funds.

  • Western Kentucky University Breaks Ground on First Phase of $350M Student Housing Project

    Western Kentucky University (WKU) in Bowling Green, Ky., recently broke ground on the first phase of a $350-million student housing initiative, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Gilbane Development through a public-private partnership (P3) to replace aging residence halls and modernize on-campus living accommodations.

  • UPenn Announces Completion of New Veterinary Education Facility

    The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Penn., recently finished construction on an 11,800-square-foot veterinary education building, according to a news release. The Gail P. Riepe Center for Advanced Veterinary Education is the first dedicated classroom facility at the New Bolton Center, a large-animal hospital and campus about 35 miles west of the campus proper.

  • DLR Group Announces New Mid-Atlantic Higher Education Leader

    Integrated design firm DLR Group recently announced that it has promoted Principal Shawn Gaither, AIA, LEED AP, to the role of higher education leader in the Mid-Atlantic, according to a news release. Gaither has served with the firm for more than 20 years, most recently as the national higher education business development leader.