National Cooperative Purchasing Alliance (NCPA)

The National Cooperative Purchasing Alliance (NCPA) is a national intergovernmental cooperative purchasing organization that administers competitively solicited contracts that government agencies, educational institutions, and nonprofits across the United States can use to purchase goods and services without conducting their own separate competitive procurements.

What is NCPA?

NCPA operates by having a lead public agency, typically a state or large municipal government, conduct a competitive solicitation on behalf of all potential NCPA members nationwide. Once a contract is awarded, any NCPA member entity can purchase from that contract under the same terms and pricing, satisfying their own local competitive bidding requirements through the cooperative's piggyback mechanism. NCPA covers a wide range of categories including technology, office supplies, janitorial products, grounds maintenance, vehicles, and professional services. Members include state agencies, counties, cities, towns, school districts, community colleges, and eligible nonprofits. For vendors, a single NCPA contract can provide access to thousands of government buyers nationwide without the vendor needing to compete in each jurisdiction separately. NCPA is one of several national cooperative purchasing organizations (alongside NASPO ValuePoint, Sourcewell, and others) and competes for vendor and agency participation in the cooperative purchasing market.

Why NCPA matters for government contractors

NCPA is a significant multiplier for vendors targeting state and local government. A single competitive award through NCPA's process can open doors to thousands of member agencies across all 50 states. For vendors with standardized products or services and national sales capacity, winning an NCPA contract is often more efficient than pursuing state-by-state contracts individually.

Example

A fleet management software company competes for an NCPA contract awarded through a Texas county lead agency. After the award, city fleet managers in California, school districts in Ohio, and transit authorities in New York all purchase the software under the NCPA contract without running local solicitations. The vendor achieves national market penetration through a single competition.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does NCPA's cooperative purchasing satisfy state competitive bidding laws?

Most states have enacted laws or issued attorney general opinions confirming that local governments can satisfy their competitive bidding requirements by using contracts from recognized cooperative purchasing organizations, provided the cooperative's solicitation was conducted competitively. NCPA works to ensure its lead-agency solicitations meet these standards.

How is NCPA different from NASPO ValuePoint?

Both are national cooperative purchasing organizations. NASPO ValuePoint is managed by the National Association of State Procurement Officials and its contracts are led by state agencies, giving them particular credibility with state government buyers. NCPA contracts are often led by county or municipal agencies. Many vendors participate in both.

Do vendors pay to be on NCPA contracts?

Vendors who win NCPA contracts pay an administrative fee, typically a small percentage of sales made through the cooperative, to support NCPA's operations. This fee is factored into the vendor's pricing when competing for the underlying contract.

Can federal agencies use NCPA contracts?

Federal agencies generally cannot use NCPA contracts to satisfy their procurement requirements, as federal procurement is governed by the FAR and requires specific competitive processes. NCPA is designed for state, local, and educational government (SLED) procurement.