Group Purchasing Organizations
A GPO is an entity that is created to leverage the purchasing power of a group of
businesses to obtain discounts from vendors based on the collective buying power of
the GPO members. Columbus State is a member of several organizations that allow us
to use contracts that have been competitively bid and this eliminates the need to
conduct an RFP or a “bid waiver.”
Below are 3 of the more frequently used options at Columbus State for Group Purchasing
Organizations that Columbus State has the ability to utilize for contracts of goods
and services.
- State Term Schedule (STS) Contracts are based upon the states need for a specific
supply or service.
https://procure.ohio.gov/proc/index.asp
- Inter-University Council (IUC ) Expanded price agreements by commodity that supports
higher education operations.
https://www.iucpg.com/
- E & I Cooperative Services is a non-profit purchasing cooperative serving the needs
of education. Delivers expertise, solutions and services to the educational community
https://www.eandi.org/
If you are unable to find a favorable contract with one of these GPOs, please contact
Purchasing.