Many government contractors work closely with the Federal Government through a GSA Schedule. However, there are some programs that allow state and local government procurement participation in the GSA Schedule program. One of these is the Cooperative Purchasing Program. It is one of the easiest programs to participate in, due to its inclusivity.

Cooperative Purchasing Defined:

Through Cooperative Purchasing, state, local and tribal governments can purchase IT products/services and security and law enforcement products/services off of GSA Schedule contracts 70 and 84. According to GSA, eligible entities can purchase from Cooperative Purchasing approved industry partners, at any time and for any reason, using any funds available.

Cooperative Purchasing includes two schedule contracts:

1. Schedule 70:
   • Includes IT products and services
   • This is the most widely-used federal acquisition schedule
2. Schedule 84
   • Includes security and law enforcement equipment

Note: All GSA Schedule 70 and 84 holders can participate in the program.

Blanket Purchase Agreements are available:

Under Cooperative Purchasing, State, Local and Tribal governments have access to some Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs). BPAs are more efficient for agencies with repetitive needs for supplies/services and saves the vendor time and money.

There are 4 BPA’s available under this program:

1. Federal Strategic Sourcing Initiative Wireless BPAs
2. Email as a Service BPA
3. The National Information Technology Commodity Program BPA
4. The Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation Program – Tools and Continuous Monitoring as a Service BPAs

Special Item Numbers: Do you want to know where to find Cooperative Purchasing opportunities? There are specific Special Item Numbers (SINs) that correlate with the Cooperative Purchasing Program. Head to GSA eLibrary and insert the keyword “Subject to Cooperative Purchasing.” This will pull up all the SINs that are available under this program.

State and Local Procurement follows local procurement regulations with ordering procedures, instead of the procedures associated with FAR 8.4. State and Local Governments should take advantage of the Cooperative Purchasing Program, as it does not have as many requirements as other State and Local Procurement programs!

What is your experience working with GSA? Tweet us at @MyGovContract and let us know!

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