NASPO Cooperative/Consortia Use Survey
September 2010
Summary of Results
Earlier this year, NASPO's Emerging Issues Committee surveyed members in order to get feedback on topics of interest to the membership. That survey indicated that cooperative contracting and the use of purchasing consortia was the #1 issue facing NASPO's membership.
In July, the NASPO Emerging Issues Committee created a member survey in order to gauge the use of various purchasing cooperatives and consortia in order to determine:
- What cooperatives/consortia members used
- Why they used cooperatives and consortia, and
- What specific contracts were used
Quick results
- 51 survey responses were received (50 states plus the District of Columbia)
- The average state (of the 46 that responded to the question) participates in 4.5 coops/consortia.
- The five most popular coops/consortia are:
- WSCA
- NASPO
- MMCAP
- GSA
- U.S. Communities
WSCA and NASPO accounted for more than 40 percent of the cooperative participation as reported by states in the survey.
The top 5 reasons states participate in cooperatives/consortia:
- Pricing
- Product offerings
- Ability of Contract to Meet a Specific Need
- Best Value
- Available Vendors
"Convenience" was the reason most cited in open-ended comments
Most popular categories for Cooperative/Consortia participation:
- Medical and Dental Supplies
- PCs, peripherals and Software
- Hazardous Response and Public Safety
- Communications Equipment
- Food Products and Utensils
- Office Supplies
- Laboratory and Scientific Supplies
- Automotive Parts, Supplies & Accessories
- Postage and Mail Processing
- Garage Equipment
All survey responses have been compiled in this searchable database. You may search by state (to see what coops states belong to), by coop (to see which states purchase from a specific coop) or by contract (to see which states buy from which contracts).
If you see any errors or have additional information to provide, please contact Matt Grayson at mgrayson@amrms.com. The database will be updated regularly.



Quick Links
Benchmarking/Performance Measures
Budget Shortfalls
Emergency Preparedness
Green Purchasing
Federal Relations (GSA)
Higher Education
Immigration
IT Procurement
Federal Legislation and Policy
Offshore Outsourcing
Pandemic Planning Resources
Politics and Procurement
Strategic Sourcing
USTR/WTO
Comparative Review of State IT Procurement Practices
Strength in Numbers: An Introduction to Cooperative Procurements
Administrative Fees: Creative Funding for Central Procurement in Difficult Economic Times
Emergency Preparedness for State Procurement Officials
Responding to an Aging and Changing Workforce: Attracting, Retaining, and Developing New Procurement Professionals
Benchmarking Cost Savings & Cost Avoidance
An In-Depth Look at GSA Cooperative Purchasing: The Benefits and Issues Surrounding State Usage of Schedule Contracts








