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National IPA

What is National IPA?

National IPA is redefining the future of cooperative purchasing. The cooperative purchasing organization is dedicated to serving public agencies and educational institutions nationwide. All cooperative agreements have been competitively solicited and publicly awarded by a public agency/governmental entity (e.g. state, city, county, public university or school district), utilizing the best public procurement practices, processes and procedures. The lead agencies are independent of the cooperative allowing the agency to be focused on the best value for the agency.

The National IPA team of tenured certified public procurement professionals, supply chain and cooperative purchasing experts is committed to bringing value to agencies nationwide. Participants may leverage one of the largest pools of purchasing potential, allowing them to receive a combined buying power regardless of their entity’s size.

National IPA saves you time and money. Participating in the cooperative buying power of more than 45,000 entities allows you to pay less for products and reduce administrative costs, which helps you do more with less. So why is National IPA so effective at creating more economical buying opportunities for you? Because we offer strength in numbers and years of government purchasing experience, you can have confidence in every contract. In these days of dwindling dollars, you want a partner who can help strengthen your buying position, reliably and consistently.

What Differentiates National IPA?

  • Portfolio
  • People
  • Process
  • Participation
  • Partners
  • Principal Lead Agencies

Portfo​​​​​lio​​​​​​​

National IPA has the most robust portfolio of quality contracts in the cooperative space. Their agreement portfolio has everything your organization needs to run efficiently and effectively.

People​​​​

National IPA has the most experienced cooperative team in public procurement, cooperative purchasing and supply chain management. With over 145 combined years of public procurement experience and over 260 years of cooperative purchasing experience, you can trust that you are in good hands with the National IPA team.

Process​​​​

Contracts are competitively solicited and publicly awarded by a government entity. Awards are made utilizing the best processes and procedures ensuring maximum value and absolute security with complete transparency of the process. The Lead Agency Model is considered to be a best practice in the industry.

Participation

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Participating in the cooperative buying power of more than 45 ,000 entities allows you to pay less for products and reduce administrative costs, which helps you do more with less. National IPA is the fastest growing in the market, resulting in the largest purchasing power to save you valuable time and resources.

Partners

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National IPA partners are nationally-recognized, industry leading suppliers and manufacturers. Learn more about their partners here

Principal Lead Agencies

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National IPA’s lead agencies are considered to be the best in public procurement. They adhere to the highest standards of procurement so you can feel secure knowing that you are in full compliance of industry regulations.

Competitively Solicited

Region 4 Education Service Center (ESC) in Houston, Texas is ServiceWear Apparel’s lead public agency. Region 4 ESC is one of the largest regional education service centers in the nation, founded to assist school districts and charter schools in improving efficiencies and student performance. This contract (#R160801) was awarded on October 25, 2016 and all of ServiceWear Apparel’s current and future customers are eligible to “piggyback” off the contract under the cooperative National IPA.

Through state statute and local regulation, participating public agencies can use the program without having to go through the time and expense of putting out a solicitation. All National IPA contracts have been competitively solicited by lead government agencies in accordance with statutory purchasing rules and regulations. Each solicitation contains language that advises all suppliers that the contract may be used by agencies throughout the United States. Although each government purchasing organization may have different purchasing procedures to follow, applying these competitive principles satisfies the competitive solicitation requirements of most state and local government agencies.

Visit www.nationalipa.org for more information about cooperative purchasing.

Exclusive Benefits

  • Cost Advantages
  • There are no oversize charges.
  • Consolidated purchasing power provides savings.
  • No bid process is required, saving on administrative costs.
  • There are no user fees associated with National IPA or ServiceWear Apparel.
  • As a National IPA participant, you have access to ServiceWear's most competitive pricing.
  • Fixed pricing provides simplicity and transparency.
  • FOB destination.

No Commitment

All National IPA public agency contracts are non-exclusive.

Customer Service

Dedicated customer service representatives and sales specialists specifically trained for government procurement are standing by to answer all your questions.

 

Ready to Learn More?

Find out more about how ServiceWear Apparel can help your agency or department save time and money on workwear procurement. Click here to complete our online form now.