Program Descriptions

NEBRASKA ESU COOPERATIVE PURCHASING

Coop Main Buy:

Nebraska ESU Cooperative Purchasing coordinates mass purchases on behalf of educational service units and Pre K-20 educational institutions in Nebraska. The objective of this effort is to obtain the best quality merchandise for the lowest price in order to conserve tax revenue.

Bids are sent to vendors nation-wide in December. Awards are announced in February, and catalogs, with over 1800 items, are distributed to all schools in March. The orders are then sent to vendors in May and the merchandise is delivered to the ESUs and schools during July and August. In 2003 over $3,700,000 in merchandise was purchased by ESU affiliated schools through the Coop Annual Buy.

The product categories offered are as follows: Equipment and Related Supplies, General Supplies, Furniture, Paper, Maintenance & Shop Supplies, Health & Safety, Athletics, Hot Lunch, Science, and Art Supplies.

Food Program:

The prime vendor food program, established in 1995, provides food product to ESU affiliated schools state-wide. The agreement with the prime vendor is for 3 years, with the schools committing to the program on a yearly basis. The prime vendor offers his "full house" to the schools at prices established through a rigorous bid process. All merchandise is ordered, delivered and billed directly to the schools. Reporting, monitoring, evaluating and providing supplemental services are the responsibility of Nebraska ESU Cooperative Purchasing.

In the 2002-2003 school year, 142 school lunch programs participated by committing 3.5 million dollars to the program. The participating schools purchased approximately 4.4 million dollars in food product and saved approximately 5%-10%. The range of savings is due to total purchases and the use of drop-site incentives and early payment.

Custodial Program:

This program was developed to offer schools the availability of custodial supplies and equipment during a seven month purchase window, February through August, with direct ordering, delivery and billing. Bids are taken by product line based on the vendor's "full house". Two vendors are selected through the bid process, each serving a predetermined portion of the state. Product price lists are delivered from each vendor to their respective schools prior to the opening of the purchase window. School orders, direct delivery and billing are all handled by the vendor. Nebraska ESU Cooperative Purchasing monitors sales and reports each school's activity to the administration.

Total Purchases for 2003 were $753,712.39.

The prime vendors also offer in-service workshops and product shows for custodians throughout the year.

Special Buys:

The term "Special Buys" is given to all programs implemented by Nebraska ESU Cooperative Purchasing in addition to the major cooperative buy. These purchase opportunities are conducted during the current school budget year to provide timely delivery of merchandise and/or specific brand name products.

Nebraska ESU Cooperative Purchasing offered the following special buys in 2003:

1. The Special Buy on software includes Adobe Licenses, Microsoft Licenses, and Symantec Licenses. This program resulted in total sales of approximately $649,78.04 for 2003. This program has been extended for 2004.

2. The Special Buy on Projection Lamps resulted in $12,046.80 worth of total purchases in 2003. This special buy was discontinued in December 2003.

3. Fluorescent Lamps, Incandescent Bulbs & Ballases resulted in $45,416.53 worth of product in 2003. This Year Around Buy has been extended for 2004.

NE ESU Coop Special Buys for 2004 include: Adobe Licenses; Furnace Filters; Lamps, Bulbs & Ballasts; Microsoft Licenses; Playground Inspection, Sufacing & Track Repair; Rosetta Stone Online Language Learning System; Small Vehicle Signs; and Symantec Licenses.

Association Of Educational Purchasing Agencies (AEPA):

The Association of Educational Purchasing Agencies (AEPA) is a group of Educational Service Agencies/ political subdivisions organized through Memorandum of Understanding between all participating states for the purpose of securing combined volume purchasing contracts based on potential sales by qualifying customers in participating states. Of the many advantages to this unique purchasing group are the combined human resources representing purchasing/bidding expertise, current and past vendor relationships, past experience and overall vision with regard to the needs of the qualified customers within each represented state. Nebraska is a founding member of the AEPA, which started with ten states in 2000 and now has grown to 21 states representing over 18 million students. The goals of the AEPA include:

Leverage the purchasing power to benefit all schools regardless of size, with the ability to purchase at equal buying levels.
Combine the potential needs of all schools to create an incentive to vendors to offer the best price and the highest quality product in the country.
Stream line the bidding and purchasing process through a single locally and nationally recognized legal purchasing solicitation.
Provide a single contract that is available statewide with one cooperative agency identified to function as the statewide contract facilitator and representative.
Become the national purchasing option and solution for interested qualified customers and vendors.

In 2003, Nebraska ESU Cooperative Purchasing participated in the following AEPA Programs:

1. Carpeting, with total sales for 2003 of $26,017.27

2. Cars/Trucks/Vans, with no sales for 2003

3. Furniture, with total sales for 2003 of $220,919.16

4. Portable Buildings, with no sales for 2003

5. Roofing, with no sales for 2003

6. Technology Buy & Printers/Cartridges, with total sales for 2003 of $1,600,892.08

7. Office Products, with total sales for 2003 of $48,012.87

In 2004, Nebraska ESU Cooperative Purchasing will participate in the following AEPA programs: Athletic Equipment & Supplies Catalog; Athletic Field, Track & Court Surfacing; Carpeting; Cars, Trucks & Vans; Furniture; Library Books; Portable Buildings; Roofing; Office Products; Administrative Software; and Technology (includes printer cartridges).

New programs that the AEPA will possibly be bidding for 2005 include Buses, Copiers, Lunchroom Equipment, and Instructional Software.

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