U.S. Communities was founded in 1996 as a partnership between the National Association of Counties, the Association of School Business Officials, the National League of Cities and the United States Conference of Mayors — the only cooperative founded and endorsed by the leading national governmental associations. Combining the purchasing power of over 55,000 public agencies, U.S. Communities has saved local governments hundreds of millions of dollars since its inception. When considering a purchasing cooperative, ask these key questions:
1. Was the soliciting entity an independent lead public agency that meets the standard definition of a political subdivision (county, city, school district, state, etc.)?
2. Did public employees of a political subdivision – separate from and independent of the cooperative organization – develop the solicitation, evaluate the responses and determine the award?
3. Did a national evaluation team comprised of public procurement professionals from multiple political subdivisions participate in the creation, evaluation and award process