Glossary / Acquisition, Contracts
Cooperative purchasing
Cooperative purchasing lets a government entity use a contract another entity competed, instead of running its own procurement. State purchasing offices lead multi-state contracts through NASPO ValuePoint; national cooperatives such as Sourcewell and OMNIA Partners run competitions that thousands of members can order from; GSA's cooperative purchasing program opens parts of its Schedule, information technology and security products among them, to state, local and tribal governments. The contract's terms, prices and holders are set once, and each member orders under its own rules.
Why it matters to your pipeline
A cooperative contract is a vehicle for the state and local market: one competition, then orders from many buyers who are allowed to skip their own bid process. For a vendor, a seat on the right cooperative contract turns thousands of small governments into customers it can quote directly. GovSmith's vCMs look for the cooperative routes into a client's state and local targets before recommending a portal-by-portal pursuit.
When this term shows up in an opening GovSmith finds for you, your vCM explains what it means for that pursuit and does whatever it calls for. You decide; we do the work.
Example
A school-furniture company wins a seat on a national cooperative's furniture contract. In the next year, 140 school districts across nine states order from it without issuing their own bids.
Find out what applies to you
Some terms will matter to your business right away and some won’t for years. A vCM can tell you which are which.