Post on 19-Feb-2018
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Cooperative purchasing allows for pooled buyingpower, leveling the field for small and large districtsso they can purchase at the same price points. Asmall district of three schools does not necessarily
have the buying power that would motivate avendor to give the most competitive pricing.
Cooperative purchasing can save significant staffresource time and expense by not going out to bid
yourself. For every school district, that has to buy thesame thing, its such a misuse of resources for themto each go out to bid for the same things.
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Flexibilitycooperatively bid contracts aredesigned to meet the demands and needs
of organizations of all sizes.
Savings - by aggregating the volume andneeds of multiple entities, suppliers can be
more aggressive with the pricing they offer.
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Educational Service Agencies (ESAs) are inexistence to promote cooperation andcollaboration with local school districts and otherorganizations, and to provide cost-effective
services to member districtsand other clients.
So cooperative purchasing is at the very nature ofthe mission of an ESA.
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CREC felt strongly that cooperativepurchasing was a basic service we shouldbe providing. By pooling the potential
spend, prices are driven down.
Rather than recreate the wheel, wepartnered with reputable programs already
demonstrating success.
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We began with the CT Consortium forCooperative Purchasing in 2006, partneringwith a retired business manager whod been
offering a statewide bid for 15 years.
$7 million in sales annually through thisprogram.
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At the same time, we partnered with anintermediate unit similar to CREC in Pennsylvania.
CSIU had, at the time, been running the PEPPM
Technology Bidding and Purchasing Program fortwo decades, at the request of the State of PA.
Weve had a successful partnership with them eversince, handling the marketing and support for
PEPPM throughout the New England states. $15 million in sales last year in our region alone.
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Top brand computers, networking and telecommunicationsequipment, printers and copiers awarded to over 175 vendors.
Plus catalog bids for:
Audio Visual Equipment
General Hardware & Software
Refurbished Computers & Parts
Remanufactured Laser Toner and Ink
Cartridges
Prices are posted for single quantities. Prices go down asquantities go up.
All orders go through PEPPM and are audited to be sure youare getting the best possible price.
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CREC sits on the board of theAssociation ofEducational Purchasing Agencies (AEPA), alongwith educational service agencies from 25 otherstates.
We have pooled the purchasing experience andknowledge from these members, as well as thepurchase power of the schools represented inthose states.
Each bid is advertised each member state andcontains state-specific Terms and Conditions.
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Each bid has a committee with specific expertisein that area. The committee writes the bid specs,analyzes the responses, and makes an awardrecommendation to the Board. The Board then
votes.
It is then up to each member state to enter into acontract with the vendor partners. The serviceagency then provides local support.
This local support, and non-profit status, sets AEPAapart from other national cooperatives.
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Each bid is awarded for one year, and has theopportunity to be extended for three years beyondthat.
Extensions are granted through a Board vote, sovendors must maintain good standing with AEPA inorder to be extendedactive marketing, goodservice, etc.
CT had $8 million in sales last year.
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CT currently holds contracts for the following:
Athletic Lighting Classroom/Office Supplies
Copiers Custodial Supplies & EquipFacility Mgmt Software Industrial Arts/Tech Ed Equip
Class Presentation Systems Kitchen Supplies
Mobile Learning Solutions Maint/Repair/Operations
Roofing School FurnitureScoreboards/Signage Technology Catalog
Tracks/Courts/Turf Fields
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CREC Bids
Document Shredding
Sidewalk Maintenance and Trip Hazard Mitigation
Free service that earns schools money
Apple Buy-Back Program with Vintage Tech Recyclers
Piggyback contract with partner ESA in NJ
3M Security Window Film
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Building and nurturing vendor relationships are key.
Developing marketing strategies
Making sure vendors are promoting the contracts
Support and education for school districts
Schools have a lot of options, including bidding on theirown.
Educating them on the benefits of using cooperativeprograms.
And making the use of the programs easy.
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Cara HartCoordinator of
Cooperative Services860-524-4021
chart@crec.org
Information about all of our cooperative purchasingprograms can be found at www.crec.org/coop.
Or visit www.peppm.orgor www.aepacoop.org
mailto:chart@crec.orghttp://www.crec.org/coophttp://www.peppm.org.ct/http://www.aepacoop.org/http://www.aepacoop.org/http://www.peppm.org.ct/http://www.crec.org/coopmailto:chart@crec.org