Washington
Washington's Interlocal Cooperation Act (Chapter 39.34 RCW) authorizes public agencies to piggyback on contracts awarded by other public agencies — and RCW 39.34.030(5)(b) confirms that doing so satisfies competitive bidding requirements. State-level cooperative purchasing is separately governed under RCW 39.26.060.
Interlocal Cooperation Act; Cooperative Purchasing RCW 39.34.030 and RCW 39.26.060
"With respect to one or more public agencies purchasing or otherwise contracting through a bid, proposal, or contract awarded by another public agency or by a group of public agencies, any obligation with respect to competitive bids or proposals that applies to the public agencies involved is satisfied if the public agency or group of public agencies that awarded the bid, proposal, or contract complied with its own statutory requirements."
— RCW 39.34.030 and RCW 39.26.060, Interlocal Cooperation Act; Cooperative Purchasing
Plain-language summary
Washington's cooperative purchasing authority sits across two chapters of the Revised Code of Washington. The Interlocal Cooperation Act (Chapter 39.34) provides the foundational "piggyback" authority — under RCW 39.34.030(5)(b), a public agency that purchases through a bid or contract awarded by another public agency satisfies its own competitive procurement obligations, provided the original awarding agency complied with its own statutory requirements and the bid was posted via either a cooperative purchasing website or the state's web portal. For state-level cooperative purchasing administered by the Department of Enterprise Services, RCW 39.26.060 provides explicit authority. The "public agency" definition is broad — it includes municipal corporations, special purpose districts, state and federal agencies, federally-recognized Indian tribes, and political subdivisions of other states — making out-of-state cooperative contracts usable by Washington agencies.
Key requirements
- →Both the public agency seeking to use the cooperative contract and the original awarding public agency must qualify as a "public agency" under RCW 39.34.020.
- →The original awarding agency must have complied with its own statutory competitive procurement requirements.
- →The bid or solicitation must have been posted on either (i) a website maintained by a public agency, purchasing cooperative, or similar service provider, OR (ii) the state's web portal.
- →For school districts and educational service districts, joint or cooperative action must comply with RCW 28A.320.080.
- →For agreements involving services or facilities subject to state agency oversight, the agreement must be submitted to the responsible state officer or agency for approval (RCW 39.34.050).
- →Joint utilization of architectural or engineering services is specifically authorized under RCW 39.34.030(6), with reference to standard A/E selection procedures.
Construction services
Washington's cooperative purchasing authority extends to construction services through Chapter 39.34. RCW 39.34.030(6) explicitly addresses joint utilization of architectural and engineering services — important for any construction-related procurement that includes design work. The "competitive bid satisfaction" provision in RCW 39.34.030(5)(b) applies broadly to bids, proposals, and contracts awarded by other public agencies, which can include construction services if the underlying contract was for construction. Public agencies should confirm with counsel that any specific cooperative construction contract meets both the original awarding agency's procurement standards and Washington's posting/notice requirements.
How Washington 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 Washington under RCW 39.34.030 and RCW 39.26.060.
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. Washington's procurement code may have been amended since this content was prepared. Confirm the current text of RCW 39.34.030 and RCW 39.26.060 and consult your jurisdiction's legal counsel before relying on this authority for a specific procurement.