Cooperative procurement refers to a variety of arrangements whereby two or more public procurement units purchase from the same supplier or multiple suppliers using a single IFB or RFP.

Cooperative procurement refers to a variety of arrangements whereby two or more public procurement units purchase from the same supplier or multiple suppliers using a single IFB or RFP.

• A. A variety of arrangements whereby two or more public procurement units purchase from the same supplier or multiple suppliers using a single IFB or RFP
• B. A private market approach to single-source procurement
• C. A method to permanently privatize public purchasing
• D. A process to bypass competitive bidding altogether

Answer: (A)

Cooperative procurement is when multiple public procurement units combine their purchasing needs and use one competitive solicitation to buy from the same supplier or from multiple suppliers. This approach pools volume to secure better prices and terms, reduces redundant work for each agency, and maintains a fair, transparent process by applying a single IFB or RFP to all participants. It can happen through joint solicitations or by piggybacking on a contract that was awarded through proper competition. It’s not about private market approaches, privatizing public purchasing, or bypassing competition; those ideas don’t reflect the collaborative, competitive, multi-agency nature of cooperative procurement.

Cooperative procurement is when multiple public procurement units combine their purchasing needs and use one competitive solicitation to buy from the same supplier or from multiple suppliers. This approach pools volume to secure better prices and terms, reduces redundant work for each agency, and maintains a fair, transparent process by applying a single IFB or RFP to all participants. It can happen through joint solicitations or by piggybacking on a contract that was awarded through proper competition. It’s not about private market approaches, privatizing public purchasing, or bypassing competition; those ideas don’t reflect the collaborative, competitive, multi-agency nature of cooperative procurement.