Cooperative Purchasing
Hello from the Cooperative Purchasing Connection (CPC) team! We typically use this space to highlight our partnered vendors, but this time we’re overviewing the mission and value of CPC!
CPC is the procurement service of 8 Minnesota Service Cooperatives staffed by public procurement professionals who understand how varied your needs are and how important it is to be good stewards of public dollars. We are your trusted local partner in navigating the public procurement process.
Like you, we know what it’s like to live within a budget. In our work, pricing and quality vendors are important to us. It’s why we work cooperatively with you to represent as much purchasing power as possible when we are negotiating with vendors on your behalf. But we also know that so much more goes into being a savvy buyer with public money.
Here are some questions we consider when awarding cooperative purchasing contracts that have lasting value to you and your communities:
- Will you get what you want when it’s needed, and will the best job be done for you?
- What is the life of the product or service?
- Is there a warranty for the product?
- Who do you call for service?
- Who’s going to help get through the ‘red tape’?
- Will it be delivered for a reasonable price?
- Are we supporting local, regional and specialty businesses who diversify and enrich everyone’s choice?
CPC always looks for the win-win-win in each contract; you win, the vendor wins, and our communities win.
On our website – PurchasingConnection.org - you’ll find a strong selection of state and regional vendors, as well as competitive national manufacturers. Each vendor listing has associated contact information, member benefits, and a contract number.
When working with our vendors be sure to ask for your CPC pricing and benefits! And if you ever have trouble with a rep or questions then please contact us! We’re here to support you and your team throughout the entire process.
To that end - if there’s a product or service category that you don’t see listed on our website or in our catalog, please drop us a line and let us know. We do our best to anticipate your needs but your needs are dynamic. The best way for us to secure the win-win-win is for us all to work together so please let us know when you identify a way that we can be of service.
We hope you’ll be in touch soon!
This story was featured in volume 4 of our newsletter, The Central Connection. Click the link below to see what else was inside!