Key GPO Provisions That Strengthen Group Purchasing Agreements
Procurement plays a vital role in achieving your institutional goals. For higher education institutions, procurement is more than just purchasing; it’s strategic stewardship of resources. Yet, managing cost control, compliance, and supplier relationships can be complex. Rising costs, shrinking budgets, and increased scrutiny make it harder for procurement teams to do more with less. Group […]
How Group Purchasing Organizations Transform Institutional Buying
The role of procurement leaders is changing rapidly, with a greater focus on strategy than transactions. A 2025 EY survey of CPOs shows that procurement leaders are increasing efforts to prioritize supplier relationships and performance management as well as ensuring alignment with institutional goals. Yet, this focus demands one thing that is always in short […]
How GPOs Work: A Deep Dive into Group Purchasing Organizations
A GPO, or group purchasing organization, is a group that negotiates contracts on behalf of its members. By aggregating purchasing volume across multiple institutions, GPOs are able to secure pricing and contract terms that would be difficult, for any single institution to obtain on its own. In higher education, this model has significant appeal. Academic […]
Exploring the Different Types of Group Purchasing Organizations
There are nearly 600 group purchasing organizations in the U.S., accounting for billions of dollars of procurement spend annually. Some are general-use business GPOs while others specialize in certain industry sectors. With these different types of group purchasing organizations available, procurement teams must look closely at how each model aligns with their goals, governance structure, […]
E&I Cooperative Services and GEP Win ISM 2025 Trailblazer Award for Procurement Transformation
June 4, 2025 | Award Recognizes Innovative Approach to Delivering Greater Impact in Cooperative Procurement
GPO Buying Groups: The Secret Weapon for Small and Mid-Sized Institutions
The financial pressure on small and mid-sized institutions is immense. Just look at what’s happening in Ohio as an example. Wittenberg University in Springfield was recently flagged by the Higher Learning Commission as being in financial distress, meaning it carries more debt than income. In 2023 alone, Wittenberg owed $25 million, and the institution has […]
How GPO Pricing Helps Organizations Cut Costs Without Sacrificing Quality
Higher education institutions face a perfect storm of financial challenges. Tariffs, inflation, funding challenges, and uncertain enrollment income—all of these factors drive up the cost of goods and make budget cuts a reality. Finding a solution that balances financial responsibility with high-quality outcomes is more challenging than ever. Leveraging GPO pricing through cooperative contracts can […]
The Role of Cooperative Purchasing in Addressing Higher Education’s Financial Challenges
Higher education institutions across the United States are facing unprecedented financial pressures. Institutions must navigate shrinking budgets, rising costs, governmental policy changes, and an increasingly volatile economic landscape. In this environment, traditional methods of procurement and cost management are proving insufficient. Institutions must look for more strategic, efficient ways to manage spend, and one proven […]
Education Industry Challenges & the Role of Group Purchasing in Reducing Costs
Political and economic shifts are happening fast these days, and it’s taking a toll. Credit analysts at Moody’s revised its 2025 outlook for the higher education sector in March, lowering the outlook from stable to negative, citing growing financial pressures across institutions nationwide. The warning was clear: colleges and universities are entering a period of […]
Higher Education’s Tariff Crisis: How Cooperative Buying Can Help
When Pender County Schools in North Carolina needed to purchase 2,000 laptops for mandated testing requirements, they encountered something unexpected. Multiple vendors submitted competitive bids but refused to honor their quoted prices without immediate decisions, citing tariff concerns. Ultimately, the school board was forced to approve a higher bid of more than $700,000 to secure […]