Cooperative Purchasing in Texas - Use Choice Facility Partners

Purchasing cooperatives in Texas include one of the fastest growing cooperatives, Choice Facility Partners, which is a division of the Harris County Department of Education. Focusing on facility services, Choice Facility Partners provides competitively-bid, legal contracts for governmental entities to easily access. Non-profits, public and private schools, colleges and universities, cities, counties and more may use these contracts ultimately expanding their purchasing capabilities without adding staff.  Governmental entities may use these contracts to purchase services after signing an interlocal agreement. (Outside of Texas, governmental agencies and non-profits should follow the state statutes, which sometimes require signing the interlocal agreement).

For more information about cooperative purchasing in your state, click here: http://choicefacilitypartners.org/html/membership.php.

The more than 135 contracts available using the cooperative purchasing services of Choice Facility Partners generally fall into five categories:  Construction, Energy Conservation and Management, Disaster Recovery and Restoration, FFE (Furnishing, Fixtures and Equipment), and Building Exterior and Grounds.

Cooperative purchasing in the construction category provides access to Job Order Contracting, commercial flooring, turn-key custom pre-built modular buildings, construction management, capital program management software, bond election communication services, electrical /cabling, roofing and waterproofing, painting, HVAC, elevators and more. 

In the Energy Conservation and Management category, cooperative purchasing contracts are available for consulting services, energy audits, energy conservation (ESCO), energy purchase and/or aggregation, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning equipment and service, cool roofing and more.  (See www.choiceenergypartners.org) 

Contracts available through cooperative purchasing for Furnishings, Fixtures and Equipment (FFE) include just about any type of furniture needed, including instructional and classroom, office, science laboratory, library and medical. Furnishings include Whiteboards: Electronic and Hand-Held, Replacement Vinyl, and Smart Boards. Technology items such as Amplification Sound Systems, Web Streaming – meeting management, Security Systems are also available through cooperative purchasing with Choice Facility Partners.

Disaster Recovery and Restoration can be accomplished through cooperative purchasing at Choice Facility Partners. Contracts are available for all types of services to recover from and repair damages resulting from fire, water, wind, smoke and airborne contaminates, corrosion, and more. From preparation before a disaster with digital archiving, to power generators, HVAC, roofing / waterproofing, and public adjustor services after, Choice Facility Partners has legal, quality, competitively pre-bid contracts that can get you back in business quickly.  Job Order Contracting and other construction services are also valuable for disaster restoration.

Using cooperative purchasing and Choice Facility Partners is also valuable for maintaining exteriors of facilities and grounds. Contracts for playgrounds, signage and fencing are also available.

For more information about the categories offered in cooperative purchasing, go to choicefacilitypartners.org.

Choice Facility Partners brings the very best to facilities services, with conscientious professionals who not only have outstanding products and services, but who have also taken the initiative to pre-qualify for cooperative purchasing.  Choice Facility Partners researches needs in the marketplace, writes RFPs, solicits bids, evaluates proposals using quality control standards, thoroughly checks references, and then recommends contracts to the governing board of Harris County Department of Education (HCDE), which then awards the contracts. Criteria for selection includes price, reputation, quality, meeting stated need, past performance, impact  on underutilized businesses, cost, and previous work with governmental agencies when deciding eligibility for cooperative purchasing. References are thoroughly checked before partners are awarded a contract. Once partners have been awarded a contract, they can display the Choice Facility Partners seal.  Contract use and performance are managed to ensure quality and customer satisfaction.

For more information on cooperative purchasing don't hesitate to contact us.