Product purchasing often raises many questions and anxiety for school districts, but Veronica’s district was an exception. As a transportation director, she recently gained approval to purchase new fleet surveillance cameras. Instead of preparing and distributing an RFP, she chose a far simpler approach: buying through a co-op.
“I reached out to my REI salesperson, and she sent me a quote. I then sent it to my supervisor, Tom. He, along with our school board, approved it and we bought the cameras. That’s how simple it was. Working through co-ops, it’s so easy to make purchases,” states Veronica.
Purchasing through co-ops can benefit your operation as well. Here are five ways joining a co-op can transform how you acquire fleet solutions:
1. Bypass lengthy RFPs.
Preparing a Request for Proposal (RFP) requires significant time, coordination and administrative effort. By purchasing through a co-op, districts can rely on contracts that have already been competitively solicited. This eliminates the need to develop and manage your own RFPs yet still meet procurement requirements. The result: less administrative burden and a faster path to securing the fleet solutions you need.
Veronica recalls, “The bidding process is long, tedious and involves a lot of paperwork. When I worked at another district, we had to publish bids in the newspaper for 30 days. Vendors would submit bids, and we had to conduct a formal bid opening. It was a big undertaking.”
2. Access competitive, pre-negotiated pricing.
Cooperatives solicit contracts and negotiate pricing with multiple vendors on behalf of their members. Districts then have access to pricing that has already been evaluated for competitiveness. The approach helps you maximize budgets while reducing the time and effort required to conduct independent negotiations.
3. Accelerate procurement timelines.
Because contracts are already in place, districts can move forward with purchases immediately, instead of waiting for a full bid cycle. The faster turnaround allows you to get the needed equipment in place sooner.
According to Veronica, “I got thousands of dollars’ worth of cameras, and I don’t think I would have received them as quickly through a traditional bidding process. It probably would have taken 60 to 100 days. In this case, it took about a month from quote to shipping, and I had them within 30 days.”
4. Strengthen audit documentation and readiness.
Many cooperatives maintain detailed documentation and can provide supporting records if questions arise during an audit. This helps districts prove compliance and simplifies internal reporting.
“If anything were to come back, [the co-op] will step in and give you everything that you need and help you,” Veronica explains. “It makes purchasing easier and helps make the audit process quicker.”
5. Focus on best-fit solutions, not lowest price.
Traditional bidding processes often require districts to select the lowest bidders, which may limit flexibility. Cooperative contracts are awarded based on a combination of factors such as pricing, qualifications, service and product quality. In the end, co-op purchasing enables you to select solutions that best support your operational goals.
As Veronica notes, “Sometimes vendors undercut each other just to win the bid, and you don’t always get what you really need. Cooperative contracts help ensure the vendor and solution are the right fit.”
If you’re not a co-op member, join one or more today. Collaborate with your purchasing decision-makers. Conduct research, then decide which co-op(s) offer the products and solutions that align with your goals.
“Most co-ops are pretty easy to join. Typically, you just need to fill out an application. You don’t want to pay an application fee or anything like that. Fill out an application to become a member of their co-op purchasing and get approved that way,” advises Veronica.
She concludes, “In the long run, [REI] is doing the work for us, which is always good because we already have enough work to do.”
Four nationally recognized co-op purchasing programs list REI. Interested in joining? We have contact information. Call 800.228.9275, send us a message or get in touch with your sales rep for details. Let us help you simplify purchasing.
