Group Purchasing
CDE Office of School Nutrition
2013 Director ’s Conference
What is Group Purchasing?
A way for School Food Authorities (SFAs)
to purchase better: better prices for
better products
Formal or Informal?
Co-op or Group Purchasing Organization?
2
USDA Regulations
Free and Open Competition for ALL
Purchases: products or services
USDA Memo SP 35-2012
Why? Spending Federal and state dollars
3
Competition is Key!
 If SFA wants to use services of Purchasing coop, group buying organization or entity
offering to facilitate access to these groups,
competitive purchasing must be used. Even if
there is no charge for the service
 If a cooperative is only SFAs, joining the coop
does not require competitive procurement.
Cannot include a 3rd party and be considered
solely SFAs.
4
Intergovernmental or “piggybacking”
SFAs need to ensure that all CNP
procurement requirements are met when
piggybacking on another
intergovernmental bid
Trying to find answer for ALL school
districts to participate
5
Panel
 Al Piper, Buyer for Thompson School District and school
purchasing cooperative
 Jill Kidd, Pueblo 60 Director and President of CC Star
Purchasing
 Joella Carron: Mapleton SD and Purchasing cooperative
 Krista Garand: Durango Director and “Informal” group
purchasing for Farm to School
 Beth Wallace: Cherry Creek Director has state wide catalog bid
for equipment
6
Other options
 Summa Purchasing Group: Must be procured
competitively, many SFAs obtain bids from
Summa to compare; no charge to join
 Colorado BOCES: Will have state wide
intergovernmental bid that “piggybacks” onto
WY and MT bid. Effective July 1, 2013. Can be
used as another option to obtain competitive
prices. Covers most of state for 13-14, required
to cover 100% of state in 2014-15
7