NASPO ValuePoint

NASPO ValuePoint is the cooperative purchasing program of the National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO), providing all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories with competitively solicited master price agreements for common products and services, creating a government-wide cooperative purchasing program at the state and local level.

What is NASPO ValuePoint?

NASPO ValuePoint operates by having a "lead state", a single state's procurement office, competitively solicit, evaluate, and award a master agreement for a specific product or service category on behalf of all other participating states. Once awarded, the master agreement can be used by any participating state through a "participating addendum", a state-specific agreement that adopts the master agreement terms and may modify certain conditions to comply with state law.

This structure means a single competitive solicitation covers national government procurement needs for that category, providing:

• Aggregated purchasing power: Combined state and local purchasing volume creates leverage for better pricing than any individual state could negotiate
• Procurement efficiency: Participating states avoid running their own competitive solicitations for covered categories
• Standardized terms: The master agreement provides pre-negotiated terms and conditions that participating states adopt (with state-specific modifications as needed)

NASPO ValuePoint covers major government procurement categories including:

• IT hardware and peripherals
• Cloud computing and software as a service
• Cybersecurity products and services
• Telecommunications
• Vehicles and transportation
• Office supplies and facilities products
• Professional services (in select categories)

For vendors, a NASPO ValuePoint award is extraordinarily valuable: it provides potential access to purchasing from all 50 states plus territories through a single contract, rather than requiring separate competitive procurements in each state.

Why NASPO ValuePoint matters for government contractors

NASPO ValuePoint represents one of the highest-leverage sales channels in the SLED market. A single NASPO ValuePoint award can unlock purchasing authority across the entire U.S. state government market. Companies pursuing state government sales should prioritize NASPO ValuePoint as the top-tier cooperative purchasing vehicle, it is the "federal GSA Schedule" equivalent for state procurement. The lead state solicitation process requires a full competitive response, but the prize is national access. Compare costs and revenue potential: the proposal investment is comparable to a federal GWAC competition; the market access is comparable to winning the national state government market.

Example

A cloud storage company pursues and wins a NASPO ValuePoint Cloud Solutions master agreement, with the State of Washington serving as lead state. Within 18 months of award, 34 states have executed participating addenda, adopting the master agreement pricing and terms. The company now has contract authority to sell cloud storage to state agencies in 34 states without a separate competitive procurement in each. A state CIO in Georgia identifies the company through the NASPO ValuePoint catalog, verifies Georgia's participating addendum is in place, and places an order for cloud storage infrastructure, $2.2M over 3 years. The company's sales team can prospect all 34 participating states using the existing NASPO contract rather than pursuing separate state contract vehicles.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can local governments and school districts use NASPO ValuePoint contracts?

Yes, with conditions. Most NASPO ValuePoint master agreements allow local government participation (counties, cities, special districts, school districts) through the state's participating addendum. Each state's addendum specifies whether local governments within the state are eligible participants. This local government access is a major value proposition, NASPO ValuePoint can effectively serve as a multi-tier cooperative vehicle covering state AND local purchasing.

How are prices set under NASPO ValuePoint?

The lead state solicitation includes pricing competition, vendors compete on pricing as part of the master agreement award process. Master agreement pricing represents a price ceiling (maximum catalog price). Vendors may offer lower prices on participating addendum orders. NASPO ValuePoint generally requires "most-favored-customer" pricing, the pricing offered to NASPO ValuePoint participants must be at least as good as pricing available to any comparable customer.

How does a vendor become a NASPO ValuePoint awardee?

NASPO ValuePoint issues solicitations for specific categories through the lead state's procurement system (the lead state's equivalent of SAM.gov). Vendors must monitor NASPO ValuePoint's website (naspovaluepoint.org) and participating state procurement portals to identify relevant solicitations. The solicitation and evaluation process mirrors state government RFPs, typically more streamlined than federal procurement but requiring similar proposal documentation.

What is the difference between NASPO ValuePoint and Sourcewell?

Both are cooperative purchasing organizations serving government. NASPO ValuePoint is a state-government-led organization where lead states conduct solicitations on behalf of member states. Sourcewell (formerly NJPA) is a Minnesota-based cooperative serving a broader member base including schools, nonprofits, and local governments, with its own solicitation process. Many vendors hold both NASPO ValuePoint and Sourcewell agreements to maximize cooperative purchasing market access.