How Purchasing Cooperatives Help Educational Institutions Save on Procurement
In education procurement, you are constantly balancing the needs of your institution while carefully managing costs. Every dollar you spend in one area is one less for you to spend elsewhere. With rising costs and tight budgets, procurement teams are intensifying their focus on reducing expenses without sacrificing quality. Education cooperatives offer a powerful solution […]
The Role of Educational Cooperatives in Enhancing Procurement Efficiency
When you have an efficient procurement process, you can maximize your budget, reduce the administrative workload, and support academic and administrative goals. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? However, it’s never that easy. Procurement systems have evolved over time, yet many still rely on outdated approaches to buying. Traditional procurement methods often involve complex negotiations, inconsistent pricing, […]
How Purchasing Cooperatives Improve Supplier Relationships and Pricing
Procurement teams often juggle a long list of tasks, which can often feel overwhelming, especially with today’s uncertain funding and tight budgets. There is considerable pressure to reduce costs without compromising on quality, while also finding ways to reduce the administration burden that comes with procurement. Purchasing cooperatives offer a strategic advantage to help reduce […]
Education Cooperative vs. Traditional Purchasing: Which One Is Right for Your Institution?
Choosing the most effective procurement strategy has never been more important. With limited budgets and concerns about future funding, educational institutions must consider more carefully how they purchase goods and services—looking for cost-cutting opportunities while still getting the quality goods and services they need. Now more than ever educational institutions are exploring the benefits of […]
The Advantages of Education Purchasing Cooperatives for Schools and Universities
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) estimates no real growth in education budgets through 2031. Overall, they project just a 1% increase in inflation-adjusted dollars and this forecast does not take into account policy initiatives or changes in the age distribution of teachers or retirements. When you consider the current environment, with shifting demographics […]
Cooperative Purchasing Explained: How It Saves Schools and Institutions Time and Money
Cooperative purchasing is a procurement strategy where multiple organizations collaborate to increase their buying power, reduce costs, and streamline purchasing. As educational institutions continue to deal with budget constraints, staffing shortages, and increasing compliance requirements, cooperative purchasing for education has become an essential tool to enhance efficiency and affordability. By leveraging collective demand, educational institutions […]
Why More Institutions Are Relying on Cooperative Contracts for Procurement
There are plenty of reasons why more academic institutions are relying on cooperative contracts for procurement, but here’s the biggest one: saving money. Educational institutions that leverage cooperative purchasing agreements often reduce costs by 15–25% versus buying independently. By combining demand across hundreds or thousands of schools across the country, procurement cooperatives like E&I Cooperative […]
E&I Announces its 2025 Annual Business Partner Awards Winners
March 18, 2025 | Tremco CPG, Deloitte, Grainger, & Avantor Recognized for Excellence
What Are GPO Provisions for Higher Education? A Comprehensive Overview
According to the National Association of Educational Procurement (NAEP), as much as 38% of spending in higher education occurs using P-cards. P-cards can help streamline procurement, but they can also lead to the use of unapproved suppliers and non-contract spend—driving up costs and often bypassing compliance and approvals. It’s not surprising. At the department level […]
7 Features to Look for Before Joining a Procurement GPO for Higher Education
Funding concerns. Rising costs. Deferred maintenance. Increased pressure. There’s a long list of challenges that educational institutions face when managing procurement. Balancing the needs of your college or university while also ensuring you meet budget goals can be stressful. Group purchasing organizations (GPOs) for higher education can help. However, each GPO has a slightly different […]