U.S. Communities

What is U.S. Communities?

U.S. Communities is a nonprofit government purchasing cooperative that reduces the cost of goods and services for participating agencies by aggregating their purchasing power nationwide. Lead public agencies competitively solicit contracts, which U.S. Communities makes available to agencies and nonprofits nationwide.

How does it work?

1. A public agency recommends a product, service or solution to U.S. Communities.

2. A full service government agency serves as the Lead Public Agency and prepares and issues a competitive solicitation on behalf of U.S. Communities and all 90,000 public agencies.

3. Each solicitation is advertised nationally to ensure the most competition and transparency to the public taxpayers.

4. The solicitation includes language allowing all states, local governments, school districts, higher education institutions, other government agencies and nonprofit organizations to use or "piggyback" on the contract.

5. The Lead Public Agency and Public Procurement Professionals evaluate submitted proposals and make a recommendation for award.

6. Participating Public Agencies have the ability to use a contract by registering online with U.S. Communities. There are no fees to the agency for registering or using any contract.

7. Lead Public Agency and Advisory Board monitor and evaluate supplier performance.

Each solicitation contains language that advises all suppliers that the contract may be used by other government agencies throughout the United States. This language is based on the lead jurisdiction "Joint Powers Authority" or "Cooperative Procurement Authority." 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.

State statutes and, if applicable, local ordinances generally allow one government agency to purchase from contracts competitively solicited by another government agency ("Lead Public Agency"). This would require the consent of all parties including the supplier, the Lead Public Agency and the government agency purchasing from the Lead Public Agency contract. U.S. Communities contracts are established to meet both the competitive solicitation and consent requirements. The U.S. Communities Uniform Contract was competitively solicited on a nationwide basis by the City of San Antonio. Many government agencies are currently receiving better service, have lowered their costs for uniforms and work apparel, and are taking advantage of the first nationwide uniform contract available to them regardless of their size.

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 U.S. Communities or ServiceWear Apparel.
• As a U.S. Communities participant, you have access to ServiceWear's most competitive pricing.
• Fixed pricing provides simplicity and transparency.
• FOB destination.

No Commitment

All U.S. Communities 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 uniform procurement. Click here to complete our online form now.