Learn about Cooperative Purchasing

These cooperatives play a significant role in aggregating the purchasing power of businesses across different industries to achieve cost savings and other benefits. As your ally, we’ll help you find, contract, and purchase total solutions that support your strategic sourcing initiatives and goals. We then walk alongside your organization with value-added solutions, tools, data, support, and expertise to consistently help identify more strategic and efficient ways to procure.

This flexibility may become important during emergency operational situations, cybersecurity incidents, budget cuts, infrastructure upgrades, or evolving instructional technology needs. K-12 procurement teams now manage far more purchasing categories, compliance expectations, and operational variables than in previous decades. This approach enhances efficiency, enables more strategic procurement, and allows organizations to focus resources on mission-critical priorities rather than administrative tasks. This approach streamlines purchasing, saves time, and ensures compliance with applicable procurement regulations. We support thousands of agencies across local and state government, K–12 and higher education, and nonprofits—managing over $30 billion in spend annually through our portfolio of competitively solicited, publicly awarded contracts.

GPO cost savings and mitigation strategies from the Cost Outlook webinar 3 ways strategic procurement can transform cost pressure into an advantage Unlock cost savings and smarter decision-making with powerful procurement tools Access suppliers who have been vetted for accountability, including animal welfare, fair labor and responsible sourcing. Elevate your F&B while saving more with support from Entegra Culinary Consulting.

Heavy Administrative Burden Procurement teams, legal staff, and contract managers were essential to manage every detail and ensure compliance. Buy Sourcewell Sunsetting the Buy Sourcewell site Sourcewell is constantly evaluating how our digital platforms can best connect you to the solutions, resources, and expertise needed to solve procurement challenges. We negotiate deep discounts with our vendors based on the combined purchasing power of CPG members. Lastly, our vendors work closely with your organization to ensure proper inventory management, so you’ve got what you need when you need it without over-ordering.

Approximately 36,000 people with disabilities, including more than 2,500 veterans, are employed through AbilityOne contracts in our network. We have the capacity and the capabilities to fulfill any contract, including Contact Center and IT Services, Clothing Manufacturing, Staffing Services, Medical Equipment, Food Production Packaging, and more. SourceAmerica® builds efficiencies throughout the procurement process to get you precisely what you need when you need it. Our team has decades of AbilityOne® Program procurement expertise. We’re able to save you money, and you keep your current vendor relationship.

No matter the size or scope of your organization, cooperative purchasing gives you the tools and support to act quickly and confidently. It also eliminates the need for smaller procurement teams—often consisting of just one or two staff members, sometimes without full-time procurement roles—to manage complex sourcing efforts on their own. Cooperative purchasing contracts have already been competitively solicited and publicly awarded, helping agencies meet competitive bidding requirements and maintain compliance. This method significantly simplifies the procurement process and saves time and administrative burden for agencies that choose to participate.

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The community also benefits from cooperatives’ community reinvestments and support for local jobs and services. A group of artisans and vendors in Rochdale established a consumer-based cooperative and principles for how to operate. By joining forces in a purchasing co-op, organizations achieve lower prices, greater efficiencies and increased market power. Cooperative purchasing helps members reduce costs and offer competitive prices compared to retail chains. Cooperative purchasing delivers the most value when teams can see where cooperative spend occurs, guide buyers toward preferred contracts, and demonstrate compliance without manual work.

Public agencies are under constant pressure to do more with less—less time, less staff, and less budget. Collective Buying Power Agencies benefit from volume-based pricing and shared operational costs—maximizing every dollar. Centralized Access Cooperative purchasing platforms offer integrated contract and supplier management with real-time visibility. Risk Falls on You Agencies handled all supplier vetting, compliance monitoring, and performance tracking internally.

Technology enabled. People centric.

All solutions available on the platform are offered through Sourcewell-awarded contracts, ensuring that agencies can procure with confidence and compliance from day one. The marketplace connects government buyers to a wide range of AI solution categories, including enterprise AI, digital transformation, cloud and AI infrastructure, workforce and productivity tools, data and analytics, cybersecurity and compliance, and emerging technologies such as blockchain and autonomous systems. Vizient’s diverse membership base includes academic medical centers, pediatric facilities, community hospitals, integrated health delivery networks and non-acute health care providers and represents approximately $100 billion in annual purchasing volume.

Access to our group purchasing contracts with leading national suppliers delivers volume discounts and streamlines the procurement process for thousands of products and services. We offer the following list of cooperative purchasing programs in the U.S. and Canada for the convenience of the practitioner community. In general, joint solicitations occur with a relatively small number of agencies putting forward a greater – though shared – level of effort early in the procurement process to improve their negotiating position. It gives prospective suppliers a clear understanding of the volume and service level requirements necessary to support the committed agencies.

It requires more than just selecting the right vendors; it involves ongoing communication, trust-building, and performance evaluation. Organizations bring their procurement needs and expertise to the table, while cooperative purchasing groups provide the Cooperative purchasing group necessary infrastructure and support to facilitate collaboration. This ensures that all parties are aligned and informed throughout the procurement process. This ensures that the procurement process is fair, open, and free from any bias or favoritism. By pooling their resources and requirements, these organizations can negotiate better terms and conditions, resulting in cost savings and improved efficiency. The study also identifies additional benefits, including stronger operational resilience, faster progress towards decarbonisation targets and increased opportunities for knowledge sharing and collaboration across the sector.

Purchasing, Deployment, and Ongoing Support

• Resources for Parks and Recreation Sourcewell cooperative purchasing for parks and recreation Equip your parks and recreation team with the tools to build vibrant, welcoming community spaces.
• As your ally, we’ll help you find, contract, and purchase total solutions that support your strategic sourcing initiatives and goals.
• K-12 schools spent $30 billion on technology in 2024, and it’s expected to double by 2033.
• Get instant access and email alerts to matched government bid opportunities by category and location – saving you time and resources.
• Client services are provided directly to an agency's clients including, but not limited to, medical and dental services, employment and training programs, residential care, and subsidized housing.

A pharmacy Group Purchasing Organization (GPO), also known as a pharmacy buying group, pools the purchasing power of independent pharmacies to negotiate discounts and vendor terms. This exclusive focus produces significant expertise and insight into the unique needs of academic institutions, which helps shape sourcing and procurement strategies. Routine operational purchasing categories continue to represent significant district-wide spending activity. Facilities procurement includes a broad range of operational support categories essential to district operations. Once purchasing needs are identified, districts typically evaluate suppliers based on compliance standards, operational capabilities, pricing structures, and service reliability.

Imagine the buying power and expertise of 31 state agencies working together. Sachin Sharma is the CEO of ProcureDesk and has spent over 23 years in procurement and supply chain technology. Additionally, conducting periodic evaluations of supplier performance ensures that expectations are met and provides an opportunity for feedback and improvement. By assigning dedicated project managers, organizations can streamline coordination, ensure clear communication, and maintain a structured approach to execution.