If you’re like most government procurers, you work in a department or agency that’s understaffed and faces budget constraints, and you would welcome purchasing options that can make your life easier. Enter cooperative purchasing agreements. We’ll give you ten cooperative purchasing options you can take advantage of today.
But first, we’ll explain more about cooperative purchasing.
Survey of Government Procurement Officials and Their Top Challenges
Credit: Deltek
What is Cooperative Purchasing?
Cooperative purchasing is essentially when agencies pool resources for better leverage to buy items like HighCom Armor’s body armor and ballistic-resistant products. There is power in numbers, especially for smaller state and local agencies. When they unite, agencies can take advantage of their greater numbers to negotiate better discounts, reduce administrative costs, and save time.
Types of Cooperative Purchasing
There are typically two types of cooperative purchasing: piggybacking and joint solicitation.
Piggybacking
Piggybacking, as its name implies, is jumping onto another agency’s contract that is already in place. One or more agencies have pre-negotiated pricing and terms. If allowed, your agency can skip over the negotiating and get right to purchasing based on that contract’s pricing and terms.
Advantages: Minimizes administrative costs and expedites purchasing.
Joint Solicitation
Joint solicitation is when multiple agencies collaborate to negotiate a contract that idealistically benefits all involved. Again, creating a larger buying group typically equates to more substantial buying power through better discounts and terms.
A larger agency usually takes the lead in joint solicitation cooperative purchasing agreements. They act as the main negotiator, and also as the main coordinator of the other agencies participating in the contract.
Advantages: All agencies have “skin in the game” and can help shape the contract together. Agencies can put all their individual requirements into one broad agreement to compete for the best pricing. These contracts usually reduce administrative costs for most agencies involved.
Cooperative Purchasing Contract Models
There are various ways to model a cooperative purchasing contract, and we go into further detail below so you can better understand.
- Indefinite Quantity, Indefinite Delivery (IDIQ)-agencies enter into contracts with vendors that allow for an unknown quantity of products and/or services to be purchased for an indefinite time period.
- Definite Quantity, Definite Delivery-these types of contracts are less common; they sell a finite amount of products and/or services within a clearly defined time period to a specified cooperative group.
- Multiple Agency Contract (MAC)-MACs are established by one government agency that other agencies can then use to purchase products and services.
- Multiple Award Schedule (MAS)-this is a type of federal IDIQ contract used by the GSA to offer various services and commodities; vendors can be added to the contract at any time (there is no predetermined solicitation window); state and local agencies can take advantage of these federal contracts.
- Leveraged Procurement Agreement-this is another name for a cooperative purchasing agreement.
10 Cooperative Purchasing Source Options
1. Sourcewell
In 2021, Sourcewell awarded HighCom Armor a contract in its Body Armor with Related Accessories, Equipment, and Services category. Of 72 companies who expressed interest in this award, it was only awarded to five companies. This contract is a great option for law enforcement and first responders to take advantage of deep discounts and free shipping.
Sourcewell is a national purchasing group that leverages the buying power of 50,000 entities to offer better pricing and terms on products state and local agencies may not get on their own.
Agencies who sign up with Sourcewell have access to more than 400 suppliers and have the option to purchase directly through those suppliers or consult with Sourcewell’s client relations team. Discounts can range from ceiling discounts to volume discounts.
For agencies that might be interested in learning how their process works, Sourcewell created a simple guide that explains how to register your agency, the ordering process and FAQs. Signing up for Sourcewell takes less than five minutes!
Sourcewell users can easily search contracts and make purchases online.
2. NASPO ValuePoint
The National Society of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) is one of the earliest companies to develop a cooperative purchasing program. In 1992, NASPO created ValuePoint to offer competitively sourced contracts.
In 2021, NASPO added the Body Armor and Ballistics Resistant Products to its portfolio, which included HighCom Armor. HighCom customers can find our contract on ValuePoint’s website.
The ValuePoint program is available to all local and state agencies eligible to take advantage of cooperative purchasing agreements. There is no fee for state and local agencies to participate. NASPO offers contracts in the following categories:
- Public Safety
- Services
- IT
- Fleet Related
- Office, Education, General Business
- Facilities and Grounds
- Health and Human Services
3. GSA Cooperative Purchasing Program
GSA’s (General Service Administration) Cooperative Purchasing Program is an excellent option for state and local agencies like law enforcement to buy COTS (commercial off-the-shelf) items. These products fall under GSA’s Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contracts and are considered IDIQs.
The GSA MAS 84 contract is awarded to multiple vendors that provide products like body armor and other protective equipment. Since MAS contracts are awarded to numerous companies, many offer similar products. This gives purchasers more choice when it comes to brand preferences.
In addition, GSA’s Cooperative Purchasing Program has already vetted vendors and negotiated pricing that should be advantageous to purchasers. HighCom Armor was awarded a GSA contract in 2005, and customers can buy our equipment directly through GSA Advantage!.
You can find more information on this program at GSA Cooperative Purchasing.
4. OMNIA
OMNIA is the nation’s largest cooperative purchasing group to serve the public sector. It combines the purchasing power of a whopping 234,000 entities and more than 300 cooperative purchasing contracts. OMNIA offers its members an expansive contracts catalog of products and services in the following sectors:
- Business Education Services & Solutions
- Facilities
- Parks and Recreation
- Furniture
- IT
Participation in OMNIA is free, and they also offer various resources, such as webinars, conferences, state-specific resources and contracts, and compliance assistance.
5. National Cooperative Purchasing Alliance (NCPA)
NCPA is a national government purchasing organization serving all 50 states. Ninety thousand agencies use the services of NCPA. As mentioned earlier, NCPA uses a lead agency to solicit master contracts that other agencies can then piggyback on.
Piggybacking onto NCPA’s master contracts allows state and local agencies to forgo much administrative work while taking advantage of quality products at favorable pricing. Agencies can often skip the solicitation process by joining forces with a group like NCPA.
NCPA’s purchasing categories include business services, security, medical, environmental, technology, and more. There are no fees for purchasers to join NCPA.
6. HGACBuy (Houston-Galveston Area Council)
Despite its localized name, HGACBuy is open to state and local purchasers nationwide and has been in operation for 40 years. The primary sectors HGACBuy serves are:
- Public Safety
- Public Works
- Emergency Services and Communications
Combined resources give HGACBuy’s members more bang for their buck when purchasing products and services, and its services are free to members. There is no online buying option on their website, but they offer an online catalog.
7. 1GPA (Government Procurement Alliance)
Like most other cooperative purchasing groups, 1GPA is free for members to join and use the leveraged buying power of its organization. 1GPA serves schools, universities, state, local and federal governments, Native American communities, fire districts, as well as cities, towns, and municipalities.
Like the NCPA, 1GPA’s model is to work with a lead agency on contracts, allowing its members to glean the benefits of that contract. 1GPA has a vast offering of products and services.
Agencies can benefit from the pooled resources of 1GPA for the most favorable terms and pricing.
8. BuyBoard
BuyBoard is a national purchasing cooperative that issues proposals and awards contracts to vendors so it can offer its members the best value and suitability of products and services. Membership is free, but there is a fee for vehicle purchases.
BuyBoard’s products and services list runs the gamut–from law enforcement equipment to classroom supplies to ambulances.
BuyBoard offers secure online purchasing to its members.
9. NPPGov
NPPGov is a Seattle-based cooperative purchasing organization that offers programs specific to public safety and law enforcement, although it also serves other government agencies. This is unique because NPPGov offers public safety and law enforcement agencies contracts that are curated specifically for them.
NPPGov boasts strong relationships with state fire associations, fraternal order of police, government retirement organizations, and more. They say this fosters contracts that provide the ultimate value and benefit to their members.
NPPGov is the government arm of the National Purchasing Partners, which is open to the public purchasing sector.
10. TIPS (The Interlocal Purchasing System)
TIPS started regionally in Texas but eventually expanded its cooperative purchasing services nationwide. TIPS uses the lead agency model to procure contracts that its members piggyback.
TIPS solicits its contracts through the RFQ/RFP process, thus offering state and local purchasers access to pricing seen on a more national level.
Membership is free.
Conclusion
As a government procurement official, your purchasing options can be daunting. Taking advantage of cooperative purchasing can streamline your efforts, reduce your administrative workload, and offer you a broad portfolio of products and services at some of the best pricing. Typically this is at no additional cost to you, so these agreements are worth exploring.
HighCom Armor is proud to offer you cooperative purchasing options, and we look to expand these contracts in the future to provide you with even more purchasing diversity.
Please contact us if you’d like more information on our GSA, Sourcewell, or NASPO contracts.
