Cooperatives
Our university has established partnerships with various cooperatives to help UIW in
purchasing goods and services at a contracted price. Below is a list of cooperatives that
may benefit departments across our university. You can click into each cooperative to
explore how they may assist your area.
Please keep the following purchasing guidelines in mind:
- • P-Card: Orders of $1,000 or less may be placed using a P-Card.
• Purchase Order (PO): Orders over $1,000 require a Purchase Order.
• Competitive Bidding: A bidding process is still required for purchases exceeding
$25,000.
Procurement Cooperative
BuyBoard- A purchasing Cooperative that offers schools, municipalities, counties, and
other public entities nationwide access to millions of competitively procured products and
services from more than 2,000 awarded vendors nationwide. A username and Password required. https://www.buyboard.com/
E&I- As a nonprofit, member-owned sourcing cooperative dedicated solely to education.
They provide the purchasing power of 6,500+ members with unmatched procurement
expertise and category knowledge. Username and password required.
https://www.eandi.org/
I CUT- A nonprofit association that supports Texas Independent Colleges and Universities
and helps policymakers recognize the importance and value of higher education by
articulating the sector’s needs and aspirations. Username and Password required.
https://icut.org/
Omnia- Is a group purchasing organization, also known as a cooperative, that turns
collective buying power into ready-to-use contracts for members. Serving both private and
public sectors. Omnia works as an extension of your team as part of the free membership.
OPUS requires a username and password. https://www.omniapartners.com/
Sourcewell- Is a hub of solutions, empowering public agencies with cooperative contracts,
expertise, and resources to meet evolving community needs. This program keeps taxpayers
dollars in the community while saving time and money during the procurement process.
Sourcewell contracts can be used to purchase equipment, office supplies, technology, and
services that support our local communities. No login information required.
https://www.sourcewell-mn.gov/
Texas Smart Buy- Is a purchasing membership program that was formerly known as the
State of Texas Cooperative Purchasing Program. As a service from the comptroller’s office,
The state purchasing cooperative promotes best value procurements through state
contract usage at the local level. Members are provided with access to purchase from a
wide variety of state term contracts. https://www.txsmartbuy.gov/
The Hess Consortium- Which is also known as Higher Education Systems and Services
Consortium is a quickly growing group of private, nonprofit colleges and universities
committed to working together in a community of practice for CIOs, CFOs, and Technology
professionals. https://www.hessconsortium.org/new/about-hess/
The Interlocal Purchasing System (TIPS)- TIPS is a national purchasing cooperative that
offers access to competitively procured purchasing contracts to its membership. Housed
and managed by the Region 8 Education Service Center located in Pittsburg, Texas.
Username and password required. https://www.tips-usa.com/
UT System Supply Chain- Manages an end-to-end contracting process which includes
sourcing, negotiations, contract management, contract administration, supplier
relationship management, and customer relationship management.
https://www.utsystem.edu/offices/collaborative-business-services/supply-chain-allia