Cooperative and Group purchasing organizations (GPOs) allow those eligible to order under established contracts without additional formal bidding. The University of Texas System currently allows UT institutions to use the following:
Choice Partners National Purchasing Cooperative - Provides quality services, legal procurement, and contract solutions for governmental entities, including school districts, private and charter schools, colleges and universities, municipalities, counties and nonprofits.
E&I Cooperative Services, Inc. - E&I is a member-owned, not-for-profit buying cooperative which provides goods and services to its members at the best possible value. The diverse portfolio of competitively awarded contracts is backed by the purchasing power of over 4,300 member institutions.
Education Service Center - Region 19 (Allied States Cooperative) - The ESC-Region 19 Purchasing Allied States Cooperative is a national governmental purchasing cooperative which competitively bids and awards contracts to local, regional, and national suppliers in compliance with local, state, and federal procurement laws and regulations. The contracts are available to public schools, charter schools, private schools, community colleges, universities, cities, counties, other governmental agencies, and nonprofits.
The Local Government Purchasing Cooperative d/b/a BuyBoard - The BuyBoard was developed by the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) along with the Texas Association of Counties and the Texas Municipal League. It is open to all local governments, nonprofits, and other political subdivisions of the state of Texas.
The BuyBoard has established an authorization process for BuyBoard members to allow shopping–not buying–by non-procurement staff members. Contact the Purchasing Office for instructions on how to obtain this authorization.
National Cooperative Purchasing Alliance (NCPA) - NCPA is a leading national government purchasing cooperative working to reduce the cost of goods and services by leveraging the purchasing power of public agencies in all 50 states. NCPA utilizes state of the art procurement resources and solutions that result in cooperative purchasing contracts that ensure all public agencies are receiving products and services of the highest quality at the lowest prices.
Sourcewell, formerly National Joint Powers Alliance (NJPA) - Sourcewell’s cooperative contract purchasing leverages the national purchasing power of more than 50,000 member agencies while also streamlining the required purchasing process. As a municipal national contracting agency, Sourcewell establishes and provides nationally leveraged and competitively solicited purchasing contracts under the guidance of the Uniform Municipal Contracting Law. Joint Powers laws enable members to legally purchase through the awarded contracts.
Vizient, Inc. - Is a one bid group purchasing organization that focuses on providing goods and services from healthcare vendors. Please contact the purchasing office in order to obtain additional information regarding Vizient.
Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts (Statewide Procurement Division) (TPASS/TXMAS) - SPD is a division of the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts whose primary responsibility is to provide goods, services, and facilities to the State of Texas. One part of fulfilling this responsibility is establishing term contracts available to all Texas state agencies.
Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) - DIR is an agency of the State of Texas. Among their varied responsibilities, DIR must negotiate volume purchase agreements for quality IT products and services. All Texas state agencies are eligible to use these agreements.
The University of Texas System Supply Chain Alliance (UTSSCA) - UTSSCA was created to expand the use of joint purchasing and explore new opportunities to leverage the collective size and strength of the UT System institutions through cooperative purchasing.