With the Easter weekend now behind us and summer break quickly approaching, school superintendents are eager to get the ball rolling on maintenance and repair work they’ve been putting off throughout the school year. This process can be arduous, as you are restricted to a short two-to-three-month window in which to get all of your maintenance, repairs, and remodels completed before students and teachers return in the fall.
Unfortunately, this is also the beginning of peak season for many facility maintenance contractors across the country and it can be difficult to find a contractor who can get you bids for your projects, as RFP timelines are excessively long during this time of year. Other times you are forced to move fast or are required to take the lowest bid, which can lead to quality issues that can compound over time.
Fortunately, there is a better, more reliable option for getting your projects completed on time and within budget, that many school superintendents take advantage of every year. The advantage of cooperative purchasing.
Cooperative purchasing is an established legal best practice that helps shorten purchasing timelines and achieve cost savings, making your life easier. Below we’ll highlight some of the benefits associated with buying cooperatively.
1. Working with Coops Can Save Time
The solicitation process has already been conducted, allowing you to quickly garner goods and services through an already-established contract, rather than spending weeks or months soliciting your contract(s).
2. Advantageous Pricing and Value
Cooperative contracts often produce lower prices by standardizing commodities and services, as well as aggregating spend. This may allow you to leverage volume discounts from the purchasing power of a larger agency.
3. Working with Subject Matter Experts
Cooperative solicitations allow for the inclusion of subject matter experts across a wider base, as opposed to the limited knowledgeable resources available within a single agency.
4. Convenience
Obtaining goods and services through coops is more streamlined. Instead of the lengthy process of requesting quotes, bids, or proposals, you can select from the catalog, as the cooperative contract is already in place and vetted by procurement.
Don’t Hesitate
The end of the school year will be here before we know it! If your school district needs to schedule roof repairs for the summer, you still have time to act. There is no time to delay, contact us today to speak with our team of cooperative experts who can help you find the best solution for your summer roof repair work! Our team is always available to discuss cooperative buying and how it can help make your job easier!
