Government agencies, educational institutions and other public sector organizations face dueling priorities when it comes to their technology requirements — expand digital initiatives and simultaneously reduce spending. Cooperative purchasing arrangements help resolve the dilemma.
Cooperative arrangements effectively create economic strength in numbers. Member organizations aggregate their purchasing power to get lower prices from selected suppliers. Over the past several years, several government-backed cooperatives have become powerful vehicles for helping public sector organizations streamline the purchasing process, reduce duplication of services and create better pricing through economies of scale.
Co-ops are usually managed by federal agencies that have the clout to negotiate favorable terms with a broad range of vendors. That spares individual members the time and trouble of an extended RFP and bidding process. According to a Mitel report, the standard RFP process for IT procurement can take up to nine months from the initial request to installation. Cooperative purchasing arrangements speed things up by giving agencies a list of approved vendors, products, services and prices from which to choose.
Public sector technology purchases made through cooperative arrangements are growing at three times the rate of the broad market, according to research from GovWin IQ, which provides market intelligence for federal, state and local government entities. Analysts expect cooperative purchasing buys will continue to expand steadily, reaching a total value of $61 billion by 2025.
As an approved government procurement source, Verteks Consulting is authorized to provide a range of IT services and solutions through several government-administered contract programs. Here are three of the more popular programs we use to help customers make cost-effective improvements to their IT environment:
SOURCEWELL CONTRACT 022719-MBS
Sourcewell is a public agency that solicits, evaluates and awards cooperative purchasing contracts on behalf of more than 50,000 participating organizations, including government agencies, schools and colleges, tribal governments and nonprofit organizations. Because contracts are pre-negotiated by Sourcewell, agencies can eliminate the bidding process and get the products and services they need without delay. Verteks is an authorized dealer for Mitel on the Sourcewell contract. Qualified organizations can register online to use the contract to acquire the full range of Mitel unified communications, collaboration and contact center solutions from Verteks. There are no fees, no commitment and no obligation to purchase.
GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION (GSA) CONTRACT GS-35F-0085U
The contract, widely referred to as a “GSA schedule,” is the main procurement vehicle for state and local government agencies, K-12 school districts, and public colleges and universities. GSA schedule contracts streamline the purchasing process by giving qualified agencies a defined list of approved vendors with pre-negotiated prices for products and services, as well as delivery terms, warranties, and other terms and conditions. Verteks is an authorized dealer for Mitel on the GSA contract. We are approved to provide Mitel’s complete product portfolio, including public cloud, private cloud and onsite communication, collaboration and contact center systems.
THE INTERLOCAL PURCHASING SYSTEM (TIPS) CONTRACT 210303
TIPS is another national purchasing cooperative for local governments, educational institutions and nonprofit organizations, including churches, hospitals, nursing homes and charitable groups. You can register online for a free membership with no purchasing obligation or commitment. Verteks is currently the only authorized dealer for Mitel on the TIPS contract in the state of Florida. This contract also authorizes us to deliver the full range of Mitel communication, collaboration and contact center products and services.
Cooperative purchasing arrangements can help public sector organizations keep pace with technology advances without busting the budget. Contact us to discuss your immediate and long-term needs and how co-op purchases can reduce costs while increasing value.
