Columbia is proud to offer advantageous purchasing options for governmental agencies looking to save time and money by dodging the bidding process entirely. One of those options is National Cooperative Purchasing Alliance or NCPA. 

Sounds great, but what is NCPA?

Great Question. The NCPA is a leading national government purchasing cooperative working to reduce the cost of goods and services by leveraging the purchasing power of public agencies in all 50 states. NCPA utilizes state-of-the-art procurement resources and solutions that result in cooperative purchasing contracts that ensure all public agencies are receiving products and services of the highest quality at the lowest prices.

Columbia’s Lead Agency: The lead agency or first organization to negotiate a contract with Columbia and the National Cooperative Purchasing Alliance (NCPA) was Region 14 Education Service Center. Region 14 ESC is located in Abilene, Texas, and comprises 43 school districts.  Because Region 14 ESC did all of the work of going through the bid process and signing a contract with us, any agency that qualifies for purchasing through the NCPA will automatically receive the best price possible that was established for Region 14 ESC. This allows Columbia to focus on finding the perfect vehicle solution for other organizations that want to purchase through the NCPA. 

Interesting. But what does this all mean for me and my procurement efforts?

Basically, utilizing Columbia’s contract with NCPA means that you have access to pre-negotiated pricing between Columbia and a governmental lead agency. By utilizing the work done with the lead agency, you are left with two massive benefits:

TIME SAVED: Normally, you would be stuck in the middle of the bid process for weeks or months, waiting on the negotiations that establish the correct pricing from all bidders. By working with Columbia and NCPA, this process has been completed ahead of time, allowing you to pass by this long ordeal entirely.

MONEY SAVED: Most Procurement teams know the struggle of fighting for the best pricing within the bidding system. By working with Columbia and NCPA, you are able to take advantage of the work done by the lead agency who negotiated the best possible competitive pricing.

To learn more about your state's laws on cooperative purchasing and see if you qualify for NCPA, click HERE. Register for the NCPA HERE.