What is a Co-Op?
Cooperative purchasing lets public agencies share one competitive solicitation. Instead of running your own RFP, you buy from a contract another public agency has already awarded.
One solicitation, shared by many.
Runs the solicitation
A public agency conducts a full, open competitive solicitation — written so other agencies can use the result.
Awards the contract
The winning supplier receives a master agreement available to eligible agencies nationwide.
Buy directly
Other agencies purchase from that contract without repeating the process — usually at no cost to participate.
Built for public buyers.
Typically eligible
- K–12 school districts
- Colleges & universities
- State & local governments
- Special districts — transit, housing, utilities, parks
- Nonprofit organizations
Generally not eligible
- Private, for-profit businesses
- Individual consumers
- Entities outside a program's eligibility rules
Eligibility varies by cooperative program and by state — confirm before you buy.
Four steps, done once.
Solicit
A lead agency issues a public, competitive solicitation.
Evaluate & award
Responses are evaluated and the contract is awarded in an open process.
Share
The awarded contract becomes available to participating agencies.
Purchase
Agencies buy directly from the supplier — no separate RFP or bid.
Backed by state law.
Interlocal agreements
Allow government entities to purchase jointly.
Cooperative contracts
Allow agencies to use contracts competitively awarded by another qualified public entity.
Procurement code exemptions
Let a properly solicited cooperative contract satisfy bidding requirements without rebidding.
The specific authority depends on your state. See the state-by-state reference →
Proven, compliant, and faster.
- Volume pricing from pooled buying power
- Contracts ready to use — no lengthy solicitation
- Meets competitive bidding requirements
- Audit-ready, transparent documentation
- Less workload for lean procurement teams
- Pre-vetted suppliers and standard terms
- Local flexibility — add your own requirements
- Typically no cost for agencies to participate
Traditional vs. cooperative.
- TimelineMonths — sometimes much longer
- WorkloadProcurement, legal and contract staff on every project
- PricingBased on one agency's volume
- OversightYour agency vets and tracks every supplier
- TimelineWeeks — sometimes days
- WorkloadSolicitation done once, by the lead agency
- PricingPooled volume across many agencies
- OversightPre-vetted suppliers with built-in accountability
Put our awarded contracts to work.
LNC holds multiple awarded cooperative purchasing contracts through OMNIA Partners and Region 14 ESC Texas that public agencies nationwide can use to procure construction and facilities-related services.