What is Cooperative Purchasing for Athletic Facilities?

Cooperative purchasing is a procurement method that allows public agencies to buy goods and services through a previous competitively awarded contract, rather than running their own formal bid process.

When public agencies spend taxpayer dollars on construction, there are two primary paths available: conduct their own bid or RFP, or buy through a cooperative contract. The cooperative contract option is the one most public agencies underuse, and for athletic facility projects, it is often the fastest and most practical path forward.

Here is how it works: a lead public agency conducts a full, competitive solicitation on behalf of a larger cooperative organization. Vendors are evaluated and awarded contracts based on that process. Other member agencies, including school districts, colleges, municipalities, and other public institutions, can then access those awarded contracts directly, without running their own procurement.

The result is a contract that is legally compliant, publicly defensible, competitively priced, and fully auditable. Your staff does not spend months managing a bid to get there. 

Yes, in most states. Cooperative purchasing for construction and construction-related services is permitted across the majority of U.S. states under public procurement statutes, though specific rules vary by state.

The legal authority for cooperative purchasing typically comes from joint powers and interlocal cooperation laws, which allow public agencies to share the benefits of contracts procured by other public agencies. The key requirement in most states is that the original solicitation was publicly advertised and competitively bid. That is the standard organizations like Equalis Group and Greenbush are designed to meet.

Both Equalis and Greenbush provide a comprehensive audit trail for every contract, so when member agencies are audited, they receive a clean bill of health. The compliance documentation is built into the process.

You can explore state-specific legal authority documentation at Equalis Group’s State Legal Authorities page. 

According to Tina Smith, Director of Procurement at Greenbush, studies show that cooperative purchasing can reduce procurement cycle time by up to 40% compared to a full competitive bid process.

In practical terms, a traditional bid for a construction project might take three to nine months from the time your institution starts writing the RFP to the time you execute a contract. With cooperative purchasing, that front-end work is already done. Your team moves directly into scope conversations, budgeting, and design.

For schools working with a funding deadline, a bond referendum window, or a construction window that requires a project start before a specific date, that time savings is often the difference between a project happening this year or being pushed back entirely.

And it is not just about speed. Administrators who have managed construction projects through both the traditional bid process and cooperative purchasing consistently point to one unexpected benefit: the sense of control. With a cooperative contract, public agency leaders know which contractor they are working with, can evaluate their track record, and move forward with confidence rather than waiting to see who submits the lowest bid.

No. This is one of the most common misconceptions about cooperative procurement.

Cooperative contracts are awarded through a competitive solicitation process. Vendors must submit detailed, competitive cost structures and qualifications upfront. The selection is rigorous. Pricing reflects what was established through that competitive process, not a sole-source negotiation.

For athletic surfacing and construction specifically, cooperative purchasing gives agencies access to vetted, trusted partners: firms that have already demonstrated they can deliver to the standards the cooperative requires. That vetting is part of what makes the contract valuable.

Eligibility depends on the cooperative organization and your state’s laws, but generally the following types of public agencies are eligible:

• K-12 school districts and charter schools
• Colleges and universities
• Cities, counties, and municipalities
• Park districts, recreation authorities, and other special districts
• Tribal governments

If you are unsure whether your institution qualifies, the fastest path is to contact the cooperative directly. Both Equalis Group and Greenbush offer resources to help agencies verify eligibility before beginning a project. 

Equalis Group is one of the nation’s largest cooperative purchasing organizations, serving public agencies across the country. Their contracts are publicly procured through a competitive solicitation process and are available to a wide range of eligible member agencies.

MMTH has been an approved Equalis Group vendor since 2022 under contract COG-2138A. Earning that contract required submitting competitive cost structures and qualifications through a vigorous selection process, meeting the same standards any competitively bid contract would require.

Through this contract, MMTH offers the full scope of its services: master planning and consulting, architectural design and engineering, and general construction including turf installation, track, stadium, and design-build work. For institutions looking for a turnkey solution, a partner that can lead a project from conception through construction and community positioning, the Equalis contract provides the vehicle to engage MMTH without the delay of a separate procurement.

Equalis also provides each member agency with a contract confirmation letter and member kit that gives procurement and compliance teams everything they need to move forward with confidence.

Learn more about MMTH’s Equalis contract →

The Purchasing Cooperative at Greenbush has served Kansas schools, municipalities, and public organizations for more than 50 years. Greenbush handles the entire solicitation process, including developing the RFP, awarding contracts, and managing them, so that schools and other public agencies don’t have to do that work themselves. MMTH has held its Greenbush contract since 2019.

Greenbush Marketplace is primarily oriented toward Kansas-based public agencies, making it one of the most relevant cooperative purchasing options for K-12 schools in the state. Through this contract, MMTH offers a streamlined design-and-build process with MMTH serving as construction manager.

View MMTH’s contract on the Greenbush Marketplace →   

Through MMTH’s Equalis Group contract, the following project types are available to eligible public agencies:

• Synthetic turf field installation and replacement
• Track resurfacing and replacement
• Stadium and grandstand construction
• General athletic facility construction and renovation
• Design-build projects
• Golf course construction
• Master planning and feasibility studies
• Architectural design and engineering services
• Brand activation and facility identity

Whether you are replacing a single turf field at a high school or planning a full athletic complex renovation at the university level, MMTH’s cooperative purchasing contracts cover the full scope of an athletic construction project. From the first planning conversation to the ribbon cutting. 

If you are moving forward with MMTH through Equalis Group, your procurement team will typically need:

1. The contract number: COG-2138A
2. A contract confirmation letter documenting the original solicitation, the awarded contract, and your agency’s eligibility
3. A member kit providing your compliance team with an overview of Equalis Group, how the lead agency procurement process works, and answers to commonly asked questions

Equalis Group makes this documentation available directly to member agencies. MMTH can also connect your team with an Equalis representative to answer questions specific to your state or institution type. 

Athletic surfacing and facility construction is a category where the vendor relationship matters as much as the contract vehicle. You want a partner who knows what they are doing, has proven they can deliver, and will be accountable for the outcome. Not just the lowest bidder who showed up on bid day. 

That is exactly what cooperative purchasing is designed to provide. The vetting has already happened. MMTH’s qualifications, cost structures, and track record were evaluated before the contract was awarded. When your institution engages MMTH through Equalis or Greenbush, you are working with a partner that earned that position through a rigorous process and has been delivering on it since 2019. 

Construction projects are complicated. From concept through design, through approvals, through communicating the project to your community and your board, you need a company that can actually lead you through the process. Cooperative purchasing is how we make it easier to get started on that work. 

The simplest first step is a conversation. Tell MMTH’s team about your project, including what you are building or renovating, your anticipated timeline, and your institution type. From there, MMTH can confirm which cooperative purchasing pathway is available to you, connect you with the right documentation, and walk your procurement team through what they need to move forward. 

For many institutions, this takes a single meeting. By the end of it, you will have a clear picture of whether cooperative purchasing is the right path for your project and what the next step looks like. 

Start the conversation with MMTH →