Wyoming
Wyoming's cooperative purchasing framework is one of the more restrictive in the country. The Intergovernmental Cooperation Act (W.S. §16-1-101 et seq.) provides general cooperation authority but requires Wyoming Attorney General approval before agreements become effective. Capital construction procurement is governed by W.S. §9-2-3006 with prescriptive competitive bidding requirements. The Wyoming Legislature is actively studying expansion of cooperative purchasing in 2025.
Intergovernmental Cooperation Act; Capital Construction Procurement W.S. §16-1-101 et seq. and W.S. §9-2-3006
"In exercising, performing or carrying out any power, privilege, authority, duty or function legally vested in any one (1) or more of them by Wyoming law, the state of Wyoming, and any one (1) or more of its counties, municipal corporations, school districts, special districts, public institutions, agencies, boards, commissions and political subdivisions... may cooperate with and assist each other, and like entities or authorities of other states, the United States and the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes of the Wind River Reservation."
— W.S. §16-1-101 et seq. and W.S. §9-2-3006, Intergovernmental Cooperation Act; Capital Construction Procurement
Plain-language summary
Wyoming's cooperative purchasing framework involves multiple layers, none of which provide the broad cooperative authority found in most states. The Intergovernmental Cooperation Act (W.S. §16-1-101 et seq.) authorizes the State of Wyoming and its political subdivisions to cooperate with each other and with like entities of other states and the United States. However, §16-1-105(a) imposes a critical procedural requirement: no cooperative agreement is effective until (i) the governing body of each participating agency has approved it, (ii) it is submitted to and approved by the Wyoming Attorney General who determines whether it is compatible with Wyoming laws and the constitution, AND (iii) it is filed with the keeper of records of each participating agency. The Wyoming AG-approval requirement is unusual and creates real procedural friction. Separately, W.S. §9-2-3006 governs procurement for capital construction projects with prescriptive competitive bidding requirements: contracts must be let through competitive sealed bidding with notice on the state procurement website for at least two consecutive weeks, contracts over $50,000 require governor approval, and alternative pathways require written determinations. A 2025 Legislative Service Office report to the Wyoming Legislature explicitly identified Wyoming statutes W.S. §9-2-3006 and W.S. §21-3-110 (school districts) as prescribing step-by-step competitive bidding processes that each entity must conduct independently — fundamentally inconsistent with traditional cooperative purchasing. The Wyoming Legislature is actively studying whether to expand cooperative purchasing authority through the 2025 interim committee process.
Key requirements
- →Intergovernmental Cooperation Act (W.S. §16-1-101 et seq.) provides general cooperation authority but requires three conditions before any cooperative agreement is effective.
- →Each participating agency's governing body must approve the cooperative agreement.
- →The agreement must be submitted to and approved by the Wyoming Attorney General, who determines whether it is compatible with Wyoming laws and the Wyoming Constitution.
- →The agreement must be filed with the keeper of records of each participating agency.
- →For state agency capital construction projects (W.S. §9-2-3006): contracts must be let by competitive sealed bidding with notice on the state procurement website for at least 2 consecutive weeks.
- →Capital construction contracts exceeding $50,000 require approval of the governor or governor's designee.
- →School district procurement (W.S. §21-3-110) requires its own step-by-step competitive bidding process that must be conducted independently.
- →Wyoming public works contracts under W.S. §16-6-101 through §16-6-708 have additional bonding, residency preference, and prevailing wage requirements.
- →The Wyoming Legislature's Joint Appropriations Committee studied cooperative purchasing in 2025 — indicating current authority is recognized as limited.
Construction services
Wyoming presents the most procedurally restrictive framework for cooperative construction procurement covered to date. Three structural issues combine: (1) the Intergovernmental Cooperation Act requires Wyoming Attorney General approval before any cooperative agreement is effective — an unusual hurdle not present in most states; (2) capital construction procurement under W.S. §9-2-3006 prescribes specific competitive sealed bidding requirements with state-website notice for at least 2 consecutive weeks and governor approval for contracts over $50,000; and (3) the 2025 Wyoming Legislative Service Office report explicitly identified Wyoming's statutory framework as requiring step-by-step competitive bidding processes that each entity must conduct independently — fundamentally inconsistent with national cooperative purchasing models. The Wyoming Legislature is actively studying expansion of cooperative purchasing authority through the 2025 interim committee process, which signals that current authority is recognized as limited. Wyoming public agencies considering cooperative construction procurement should engage counsel early, expect the AG-approval process for any new intergovernmental agreement, and verify whether the specific use case is workable under existing capital construction procurement requirements. Watch for legislative changes coming from the 2025 interim committee work.
How Wyoming 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 Wyoming under W.S. §16-1-101 et seq. and W.S. §9-2-3006.
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. Wyoming's procurement code may have been amended since this content was prepared. Confirm the current text of W.S. §16-1-101 et seq. and W.S. §9-2-3006 and consult your jurisdiction's legal counsel before relying on this authority for a specific procurement.