Coop Purchasing, a department of CIESC, is a buying cooperative of 25 school districts in Indiana. Our vendor opportunities help lower selling costs and bring educational buyers from across the state, helping districts successfully bid products and services in a wide range of areas. Our one-stop-shop bulk buying saves you time and money.
K12Indiana
A partnership between the State of Indiana and Educational Service Centers allows Coop Purchasing to be the largest provider of cooperative purchasing agreements in Indiana. K12Indiana gives every K-12 public school the purchasing advantage of statewide-negotiated contracts. The member school districts collaborate and successfully bid products and services in a wide range of areas, including:
- Computers
- Classroom supplies and resources
- Office Supplies
- Furniture
- library supplies
- A.V. supplies and equipment
- Janitorial products
- Maintenance repair and operations supplies (MRO)
- Playground equipment
- Health supplies
- Vehicle parts
With access to K12Indiana, you will be able to buy products as part of the bulk order of all 25 member school districts which can add up to significant savings. K12Indiana also searches for vendors offering similar products to help you further optimize your savings. You’ll get the best savings possible when you shop vendors’ Market Baskets, where you’ll find their most popular items at the lowest cost, with the greatest discounts. And with a membership to CIESC, you’ll have access to our negotiated purchasing agreements as well.
Even with a large number of products and services that K12Indiana offers, our online technology gives you the tools to streamline the purchasing process from beginning to end. Thousands of products are organized in catalogs by product category and vendor all on one easy-to-use platform. You have access to multiple catalogs of vendors and supplies so you can get the best price, easily and efficiently. Save even more time by automating and streamlining approvals and accounting. You can even make all of your purchases in one simple transaction.
Child Nutrition
CIESC’s Coop Purchasing is one of the largest supplementary providers of child nutrition in Indiana. Similar to K12Indiana, our Child Nutrition program provides bulk buying power to reduce the cost of food procurement. We assist with bids and RFPs and administering vendor agreements to ensure districts are receiving correct items.
We help school districts through the process of procuring food for their students by aiding them in selecting menu products per USDA/IDOE guidelines. Coop Purchasing works hard to ensure all products meet USDA guidelines for school nutrition so foodservice professionals can be more efficient with their time. Coop Purchasing stays up-to-date on the most recent legislation and state initiatives so you can have the peace of mind that your products meet all the guidelines. We also provide regular networking and idea-sharing opportunities so we are aware of changes in food trends.
Ordering Buses
Ordering in quantity always saves money, even when it comes to buses. When many schools order through one program, vendors can offer better prices. With cooperation from school bus vendors, the CIESC designed a web-based bus purchasing program in which all Indiana school districts can take advantage of group purchasing, regardless of the size of their order. A district ordering one bus gets the same price as a district ordering 20 buses.
With Coop Purchasing, you can get a bus that fits your needs and the state’s requirements. The software is fully compliant with the Indiana State Board of Accounts audit requirements, and all school bus manufacturers and bus styles are available.
Our bus purchasing bidding and registration software are unlike anything on the market. The dashboard streamlines the bidding process and offers each department a listing that displays all the information you need on vendors, specifications, bids, and contacts, all available in one convenient package.
The dashboard automates tasks and processes, saving you time and frustrations. It makes the bidding process efficient by re-using previous years’ bids, and our wizard will direct you to any changes. Every order is reviewed to make sure you’re getting what you want at the right price, and your order is discussed with you if there are any questions.
With CIESC’s Coop Purchasing not only do you receive the competitive pricing that comes with bulk buying power, but you also get top rate customer service. Those of us at Coop Purchasing are here to help you successfully bid products and services that can save you money and simplify your processes.
If you are a member of CIESC and interested in utilizing Coop Purchasing, please visit https://ciesc.org/coop/.
