We’ve got a big announcement for the public sectorpurchasing community:

The City of Denton, Texas, recently partnered with Civic Marketplace andthe Alliance forInnovation (AFI) to make more than 220 of its cooperativecontracts available for entities nationwide.

With a population of more than 165,000 and two major publicuniversities, Denton is a dynamic and fast-growing community. It’s alsouniquely positioned as a largely self-sustaining city, with its own electricutility, municipal airport, and landfill.

Denton’s Purchasing Manager, Lori Hewell, explains whythey’ve taken the step to share their cooperative contracts with the nation.

Q: What prompted the city to decide to host itscooperative contracts on Civic Marketplace? 

Lori: With growing demand on procurement teamsto move faster while remaining transparent and compliant, we saw this as theideal time to make its cooperative contracts more accessible to other entities.

Q: How does cooperative contracting help cities movefaster while staying compliant?

Lori: Cooperative contracts are competitivelysolicited and awarded in compliance with public sector procurement rules,enabling agencies to “piggyback” without issuing their own solicitations, whichcan reduce the procurement timeline for entities. 

By ensuring transparency and auditability through documentedprocesses, this combination of speed and compliance has made cooperativepurchasing a standard tool for procurement teams.

‍Q: What goals are the city hoping to achieve by makingthese contracts available for piggybacking?

Lori: We’re aiming to extend the impact of ourprocurement efforts by helping other entities save time and resources. At thesame time, the city is increasing the visibility and utilization of existingcontracts, benefitting both entities and suppliers. 

These efforts aim to foster stronger regional and nationalcollaboration among public entities, while promoting greater standardizationand adoption of best practices in public purchasing.

‍Q: What types of entities do you expect will benefit mostfrom access to these contracts?

Lori: Primarily, smaller entities can see thegreatest benefit, particularly those with limited procurement capacity. 

At the same time, any sized public entity looking toaccelerate purchasing processes while maintaining full compliance can leveragethese agreements.

‍Q: Which contract categories are included?

Lori: Our procurement team manages solicitationsacross a broad range of contract categories, covering commodities and servicesthat support operations such as fleet management, facilities, parks andrecreation, public safety, library services, technology, airport operations,streets and traffic management, water and wastewater utilities, landfilloperations, and electric services.

‍Q: What does this mean for local, small, or specializedbusinesses?

Lori: This initiative creates additionalopportunities for local and small businesses by increasing their visibility toother entities, driving greater contract utilization without additional biddingcycles.

It also provides them with a competitive edge through avetted, cooperative-ready contract. 

‍Q: How does this partnership with AFI support the city’sbroader goals around efficiency, collaboration, or innovation?

Lori:AtDenton, we’re committed to open and collaborative government. Hosting ourcooperative contracts on Civic Marketplace reflects that commitment and makesit easier for other cities to access proven purchasing solutions. Sharing whatwe’ve already worked on will reduce duplication of effort in other cities andaccelerate access to innovative suppliers.