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

  • Hawaii Elementary School Reopens Following $25M Campus Modernization

    Haʻaheo Elementary School in Hilo, Hawaii, has reopened to students following a three-year, $25-million campus modernization and expansion project that significantly increases the school's instructional space while preserving one of the island's oldest educational institutions, according to local news.

  • 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.

  • Dallas-Area District Debuts Three New Facilities

    The Duncanville Independent School District in southwest Dallas, Texas, recently held ribbon-cutting ceremonies for three new facilities that resulted from a $170-million bond program passed in 2023, according to a news release.

  • UCF Modernizes College of Hospitality Management

    The University of Central Florida in Orlando, Fla., recently completed a major renovation effort for the Rosen College of Hospitality Management, according to a news release. The project modernized 77,600 square feet worth of academic classrooms, teaching labs, and collaborative spaces to support both students and faculty.