Both government buyers and vendor suppliers can agree that the RFP process can be time-consuming and costly. Depending on the complexity of the solution or service being procured, the RFP process can involve months or years of time investment and be susceptible to technology shifts, vendor protests, budget changes, cancellations, and other scenarios that could further delay or stop the process.
Local government buyers need a more efficient procurement process to quickly obtain goods and services with limited staff resources. With increasing demands for faster delivery, they must also consider how to keep pace with modernization efforts. Cooperative contracts have been increasing in popularity as they offer many advantages, including better negotiation strength, competitive rates, cost reduction to the requesting agency, and, most importantly, faster procurement.
What is Sourcewell?
Formerly known as the National Joint Powers Alliance (NJPA), Sourcewell ↗ helps government buyers save time and money by combining the buying power of 50,000 government, education, and nonprofit organizations. Sourcewell holds hundreds of competitively solicited cooperative contracts ready for use by any public sector agency.
Sourcewell categorizes cooperative contracts into 14 divisions, ranging from office and technology, roads and airports, administrative services, to public works. Sourcewell develops RFPs and IFBs for national, competitive solicitations ↗ that meet or exceed local requirements. Their rigorous process is continually refined to best meet the needs of participating agencies and allows them to offer exceptional products from nationally acclaimed suppliers.
How you can start using Sourcewell
To increase your procurement speed and reduce costs, get started with three easy steps ↗:
- Register – Schools, universities, nonprofits, and government agencies can quickly and easily register to participate for free. There are no fees to use their contracts, no commitment, and no obligation to purchase.
- Find a contract – Sourcewell has hundreds of awarded supplier contracts in a wide variety of industries. You can quickly search and narrow down contracts with multiple filter options.
- Contact the supplier – Once you’ve located a contract you’d like to utilize, you can quickly obtain a quote, and finalize the sale with the supplier using the contract number and your agency's Sourcewell account number.
CAI services available through Sourcewell
CAI has been partnered with Sourcewell for the last 5 years and has supported 30 public sector organizations across the country. Through the simplified procurement process leveraging our Sourcewell contract ↗, we have helped provide services quickly and effectively ensuring agencies save critical resources, time, and money.
Here are some of the CAI services available to be procured through Sourcewell:
- Application Development and Maintenance
- Application Modernization
- Cybersecurity
- Infrastructure Services
- Intelligent Automation (RPA)
- Neurodiverse Solutions
- Project and Program Management
- Service Desk
- ServiceNow® / IT Service Management
If you have any questions about Sourcewell and how you can easily procure services through our cooperative contract, contact us to learn more.
