Arizona
Arizona Revised Statutes §41-2632, part of the Arizona Procurement Code (Title 41, Chapter 23, Article 10), broadly authorizes public procurement units to participate in cooperative purchasing agreements for materials, services, professional services, and construction.
Cooperative Purchasing Authorized A.R.S. §41-2632
"Any public procurement unit may either participate in, sponsor, conduct or administer a cooperative purchasing agreement to procure any materials, services, professional services, construction or construction services with one or more public procurement units or external procurement activities in accordance with an agreement entered into between the participants."
— A.R.S. §41-2632, Cooperative Purchasing Authorized
Plain-language summary
Arizona's cooperative purchasing authority is unusually broad and explicit. Under A.R.S. §41-2632, any public procurement unit may participate in, sponsor, conduct, or administer a cooperative purchasing agreement to procure not just materials and services but also professional services, construction, and construction services. The statute permits joint or multiparty contracts and open-ended public procurement unit contracts that are made available to local public procurement units. A key practical benefit: under subsection A(6), cooperative purchases made pursuant to the director's rules can proceed without complying with the formal solicitation requirements of A.R.S. §§ 41-2533, 41-2534, and 41-2535.
Key requirements
- →The participating entity must qualify as a "public procurement unit" as defined in A.R.S. §41-2631 (which includes local public procurement units, the state department, other states, and federal agencies).
- →Cooperative purchasing must occur pursuant to a formal agreement between participants.
- →For state agencies, the agency chief procurement officer must submit a written request to and receive authorization from the state procurement administrator before participating (Ariz. Admin. Code R2-7-1001 and R2-7-1003).
- →For construction or professional services specifically, the cooperative purchasing unit must comply with the additional requirements of A.R.S. §34-603 (architect/engineer selection) or §41-2578 (professional services).
- →Nonprofit corporations operating as public procurement units must comply with all procurement laws applicable to the participating unit, and must provide documentation to the auditor general on request.
Construction services
Arizona is one of the clearest states for cooperative purchasing of construction services. A.R.S. §41-2632(A) explicitly names "construction or construction services" as eligible categories, with "construction services" defined by reference to §41-2503. The statute does, however, layer an additional compliance requirement under subsection G: any cooperative purchasing agreement for construction services must also comply with §34-603 (governing architect and engineer selection) or §41-2578 (governing professional services). Public agencies should confirm with counsel which additional procedural rules apply to a specific construction procurement.
How Arizona agencies access our contracts.
LNC holds multiple cooperative purchasing contracts through OMNIA Partners and Region 14 ESC Texas, all of which are available to public agencies in Arizona under A.R.S. §41-2632.
Your agency can use our contracts to procure construction services through certified Affiliate Vendors. Every Affiliate proposal is audited and certified by LNC before reaching you.
Talk to LNC About Your Project →This summary is provided for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Arizona's procurement code may have been amended since this content was prepared. Confirm the current text of A.R.S. §41-2632 and consult your jurisdiction's legal counsel before relying on this authority for a specific procurement.