Cooperative Purchasing for AV —
How It Works, and How to Verify a Claim.
Cooperative purchasing lets a public agency buy from a contract another public agency already competitively awarded, removing months from a procurement timeline. This page explains how each major cooperative actually works, whether a co-op order satisfies your competition requirement, what agencies most often get wrong — and exactly which cooperatives Creation Networks holds and does not hold.
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What is cooperative purchasing, and which cooperatives does Creation Networks hold?
Cooperative purchasing lets a public agency buy from a contract that another public agency already competitively solicited and awarded, instead of running its own solicitation. The lead agency competes the contract once; member agencies issue orders against it. It is also called piggybacking or leveraged procurement. Whether it satisfies your competitive bidding requirement is determined by your own purchasing code, which usually requires that the source contract was competitively awarded, is current, and that a written finding is placed in the file.
Creation Networks holds six active California CMAS cooperative purchasing contracts (3-24-11-1007, 3-24-11-1008, 3-24-11-1023, 3-24-11-1024, 3-24-11-1027, 3-25-04-1006). Creation Networks does not hold awards on NASPO ValuePoint, Sourcewell, OMNIA Partners, TIPS, BuyBoard, E&I Cooperative Services, HGACBuy, Equalis Group, MHEC, OETC, or VASCUPP. Agencies outside California reach us through direct purchase order, supplier registration, small business set-aside, subcontracting, or competitive solicitation.
The Fastest Legal Path Is Usually Not the One You Were Told About
Cooperative purchasing is the most useful and most misrepresented mechanism in public procurement. It genuinely removes months. It does not automatically produce the best price, and it does not waive prevailing wage.
The mechanism is simple: one public agency runs a real competitive solicitation, awards a contract, and other agencies are permitted to order against it. Your competition requirement is satisfied by the original competition rather than by one you run yourself.
What gets misrepresented is everything around that. Vendors list cooperative names without contract numbers. Pricing is presented as pre-negotiated best value when the labor line — usually the larger number on an AV installation — was never meaningfully negotiated. And agencies are sometimes told, wrongly, that buying through a cooperative sidesteps public works and prevailing wage obligations.
Below: what each major cooperative actually is, our honest status on each, how to verify any vendor's claim in two minutes, and the four mistakes that show up in audit findings.
Major Cooperatives and Our Status on Each
Public agencies encounter these constantly. Here is what each one is, who can use it, and whether we hold an award.
| Cooperative | What it is | Who can use it | Creation Networks status |
|---|---|---|---|
| NASPO ValuePoint | National Association of State Procurement Officials. A lead state competitively solicits and awards; other states then execute participating addenda. | State agencies and, where a state permits, local entities and education. | Not held in our name |
| Sourcewell | A Minnesota service cooperative that competitively solicits national contracts. Membership is free for public agencies. | Government, education, and nonprofit members across the U.S. and Canada. | Not held |
| OMNIA Partners (formerly National IPA / U.S. Communities) | A lead public agency competitively awards; OMNIA administers national access. | Public sector members nationwide. | Not held |
| TIPS (The Interlocal Purchasing System) | Administered by Region 8 Education Service Center in Texas. Widely used for AV and technology. | Member public agencies and schools nationwide. | Not held |
| BuyBoard | Administered by the Texas Association of School Boards. Heavily used by Texas districts and municipalities. | Member schools, cities, and counties. | Not held |
| E&I Cooperative Services | A member-owned sourcing cooperative for higher education. | Colleges, universities, and affiliated institutions. | Not held |
| HGACBuy | Houston-Galveston Area Council cooperative purchasing program. | Local government members nationwide. | Not held |
| Equalis Group | A cooperative administered through Region 10 ESC in Texas. | Public sector and nonprofit members. | Not held |
| MHEC, OETC, VASCUPP | Regional education consortia (Midwest, Northwest, Virginia). | Member institutions in those regions. | Not held |
| California CMAS | California Multiple Award Schedules, administered by the Department of General Services, leveraging already-awarded contracts. | California state and local agencies, districts, CSU and UC. | Held — 6 active contracts |
Four Mistakes That Turn Up in Audit Findings
- Assuming cooperative price equals best valueCooperative pricing was negotiated against a national volume assumption that may not resemble your project. For AV, the installation labor line is usually larger than the equipment line and is rarely pre-negotiated meaningfully. Use a cooperative for speed and legal cover; verify value separately.
- Ordering scope that sits outside the awarded contractA contract awarded for AV equipment may not cover structural work, electrical, millwork, or professional design services. Ordering out-of-scope work against it is one of the most common findings. Ask the vendor to identify which portions of your scope fall inside the contract and which do not.
- Assuming the purchasing path affects prevailing wageIt does not. Prevailing wage attaches to the nature of the work. If low-voltage AV installation qualifies as a public work in your jurisdiction, certified payroll applies regardless of whether you used a cooperative, a schedule, or a sealed bid.
- Not documenting the findingMost codes require a written determination that the source contract was competitively awarded, is current, and that using it serves the agency's interest. Auditors look for that document. Vendors should hand you the factual material for it without being asked.
From Concept to Completion
A proven 5-phase methodology — designed right, built right, supported for the long term.
Four Other Paths That Are Usually Faster Than Waiting
- Direct purchase orderMost agencies have a bid threshold below which a PO against a quote is sufficient. For single-room and refresh projects this frequently covers the whole scope, and we accept Net terms.
- Supplier registrationAdding us to your own procurement system — SAP Ariba, Jaggaer, Bonfire, OpenGov and similar — typically takes days, not months. We complete registrations on request.
- Small business set-asideWe are an SBA-certified small business, eligible for set-aside solicitations that large national integrators cannot compete for. More on set-aside eligibility.
- Subcontracting under a primeIf your award must go to a vehicle holder, we can perform the AV scope as a subcontractor — which also helps the prime meet its small business subcontracting goals.
Public Sector Past Performance
Agencies that have trusted Creation Networks with mission-critical audiovisual systems.
FAA Air Traffic Control System Command Center
AV systems for the command facility that coordinates air traffic across the entire national airspace system — a 24/7 operation with no room for downtime.
Read the case study →Federal Emergency Management Agency
Video conferencing and collaboration technology supporting FEMA's coordination with other agencies, stakeholders, and disaster-affected communities during response operations.
Read the case study →Related Procurement Resources
Frequently Asked Questions — Cooperative Purchasing for AV
How cooperative purchasing works, whether it satisfies competitive bidding, the difference between cooperatives, schedules, and GWACs, how to verify a vendor's award, and what agencies most often get wrong.
What is cooperative purchasing?
Cooperative purchasing lets a public agency buy from a contract that another public agency already competitively solicited and awarded, instead of running its own solicitation. The lead agency does the competition once; member agencies issue orders against the resulting contract. It is also called piggybacking, leveraged procurement, or a joint purchase agreement depending on the jurisdiction.
Does it satisfy our competitive bidding requirement?
In most jurisdictions yes — that is the point of the mechanism — but the determination is your purchasing office's, not a vendor's. The authority comes from your own state code, county ordinance, or district policy, which typically requires that the original contract was competitively awarded, that it is current, and that a written finding is placed in the file. Some agencies additionally require quotes from multiple holders of the same vehicle.
What is the difference between a cooperative, a schedule, and a GWAC?
A cooperative is competed by one public lead agency and made available to member agencies nationally. A schedule (GSA MAS, California CMAS) is a catalog of pre-negotiated commercial items and rates. A GWAC is a federal government-wide IDIQ awarded to a limited pool of holders who compete task orders among themselves. Different mechanics, same objective: remove the solicitation step.
Is cooperative pricing actually better?
Sometimes, and less often than the marketing suggests. Cooperative contracts deliver speed and legal cover reliably; they deliver savings variably, because pricing was negotiated against a national volume assumption that may not match your project. For an AV installation, the labor line is usually the larger variable and it is rarely pre-negotiated in a meaningful way. Use a cooperative because it removes months from your timeline, not because you assume it is the lowest price.
Which cooperatives does Creation Networks hold?
Six active California CMAS contracts: 3-24-11-1007, 3-24-11-1008, 3-24-11-1023, 3-24-11-1024, 3-24-11-1027, 3-25-04-1006. That is our cooperative capacity, and it serves California state and local agencies, districts, and CSU and UC campuses. Full CMAS detail.
We do not hold awards on NASPO ValuePoint, Sourcewell, OMNIA Partners, TIPS, BuyBoard, E&I, HGACBuy, Equalis, MHEC, OETC, or VASCUPP, and we will not imply that we do by listing them ambiguously.
How can we verify whether any vendor genuinely holds a cooperative award?
Go to the cooperative's own supplier directory rather than the vendor's website — every major cooperative publishes a searchable list of awarded suppliers with contract numbers and expiration dates. A vendor page that names a cooperative without a contract number is a claim, not evidence. Ask any vendor, including us, for the contract number and the awarding entity.
If you don't hold our cooperative, how do we buy from you?
Usually faster than you expect. Options: a direct purchase order under your bid threshold; supplier registration in your own procurement system, which typically takes days; a small business set-aside if your agency has one; subcontracting under a prime who does hold the vehicle; or your own competitive solicitation. The full walkthrough of each path.
Would you pursue a cooperative award?
We evaluate them, and we will be candid about timing. Cooperative solicitations run on the cooperative's calendar, and an award typically takes many months from solicitation to usable contract. If your requirement is time-boxed, waiting for us to be awarded on a vehicle is not a realistic plan and we will say so rather than let you hold a project open.
What do agencies most often get wrong about cooperative purchasing?
Four things. Assuming the price is automatically best value without any comparison. Using a cooperative for scope that is outside the awarded contract's categories. Missing that installation labor may be classified as public works and subject to prevailing wage regardless of the purchasing path. And failing to document the finding, which is what an auditor actually looks for later.
Does using a cooperative avoid prevailing wage?
No. Prevailing wage obligations attach to the nature of the work, not to the purchasing mechanism. If low-voltage AV installation qualifies as a public work in your jurisdiction, prevailing wage and certified payroll apply whether you bought through a cooperative, a schedule, or a sealed bid. We raise this at quote rather than after award.
Can cooperative contracts be used for design services?
Sometimes, but be careful. Many jurisdictions require design and engineering services to be procured on a qualifications basis rather than through a product catalog, and some cooperative contracts explicitly exclude professional services. Where design must be separated, we can provide vendor-neutral design as a standalone engagement and let the installation be competed separately.
HONEST ABOUT WHAT WE HOLD
Tell Us Your Vehicle. We Will Tell You Yes or No Today.
If your agency requires a cooperative we do not hold, you will hear that on the first call — along with the paths that usually get there faster.
