Press Releases

Newly signed MOU creates exclusive partnership on cooperative procurement

February 25, 2020 | Tammy Rimes, Executive Director

In anticipation of March’s National Procurement Month, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between National Cooperative Procurement Partners (NCPP) and NIGP: The Institute for Public Procurement, to collaborate and advocate the value of cooperative procurement.

With over 3,000 member agencies representing 16,200 professionals across the United States, Canada and other countries, NIGP is North America’s largest procurement association. NCPP is the premier Association for cooperative procurement, representing many of the largest cooperative organizations across the United States and Canada, with an inclusive membership of cooperatives, suppliers with cooperative contracts and public procurement professionals. In recognition of the growing adoption and dependence of cooperative contracts by government teams, the two professional associations have an expressed commitment to embrace the value and advancement of public service and trust through cooperative procurement.

Through this 3-year agreement, NCPP serves as a “Strategic Advisor” to NIGP, providing assistance on the formation, creation and/or design of cooperative procurement content offered by NIGP. Tammy Rimes, MPA, Executive Director of NCPP states, "we are enthusiastic about this opportunity to advise and provide stellar educational content to support both NIGP and NCPP members. We have begun early collaboration efforts to develop a first-time offered Cooperative Procurement TRACK for the 2020 FORUM conference in Chicago. Through our ongoing discussions with NIGP, we soon will take the next steps to co-host a new white paper on best practices in cooperative contracting to serve as a key resource for public procurement professionals."

Over the past decade, cooperative purchasing has created an avenue for agencies to “piggyback” on already established contracts to leverage volume spend across multiple agencies, thus driving savings. This strategy provides an optimal way for smaller agencies to leverage similar buying power of a much larger institution. Another benefit is the time savings of using an already competed solicitation process to enable procurement teams to respond quickly to their growing customer demands. Recognized by the American Bar Association, as outlined in its Model Procurement Code for State and Local Governments, the concept of cooperative procurement is a proven, accepted means for the procurement of goods, services and construction across the nation. As a result, a growing percentage of public procurement professionals rely on cooperative purchasing as a much-needed tool in public contracting.

Rick Grimm, CPPO, CPPB, FCIPS, NIGP’s Chief Executive Officer states, “I firmly believe that the NCPP/NIGP relationship is greatly beneficial to both parties and will have a profound impact on the education and coordinated activities surrounding the cooperative procurement industry. On behalf of our professional team at NIGP headquarters, we look forward to working with NCPP as we move these initiatives forward.”

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National Cooperative Procurement Partners (NCPP) expands educational outreach into Canada as Kinetic GPO joins as newest cooperative partner

July 24, 2019 | Tammy Rimes, Executive Director

The National Cooperative Procurement Partners (NCPP), the premier association for cooperative procurement in the United States, has a new horizon for its educational efforts – Canada. Called “group purchasing” in that region, Canadian public agencies are actively seeking education about the use of cooperative procurement. A newly created cooperative organization—Kinetic GPO—was solely formed to provide for the Canadian marketplace. With newly awarded contracts, this cooperative offers an opportunity for Canadian public agencies to leverage savings, while providing an avenue for awarded companies to expand their government business.

Chris Penny, CEO for Kinetic GPO, states, “The recently enacted Canadian Trade Agreements have enabled broader public sector entities to utilize Group Purchasing to drive additional efficiencies for their organization. While we are in the early stages of building a national GPO, we are seeing signs that this will quickly scale across Canada. In fact, numerous highly respected agencies, including multiple Providences, have already endorsed Kinetic GPO. Furthermore, Ontario recently enacted interim procurement measures that encourage broader public sector entities to leverage group purchasing and shared services organizations. With no cost to our members, as well as leveraged national pricing, Group purchasing will no doubt continue to rapidly expand.”

Tammy Rimes, MPA, Executive Director of NCPP and former Purchasing Agent for the City of San Diego, CA, comments, “over the past decade, the use of cooperative contracts have gained acceptance and driven savings for government entities across the United States. It is exciting that our peers in Canada are taking advantage of the benefits that cooperative procurement can bring to their jurisdictions. Kinetic GPO’s Penny states, “Kinetic is thrilled to leverag our new partnership with NCPP to further enhance procurement and compliance best practices across Canada.”