what is co-operative purchasing?

When public funds, (taxpayer funds), are spent there are processes that exist which require the process used to purchase or sell assets Intended to remove human bias or personal dealing from that process. In other words, when public money Is at stake, municipalities have a duty to their taxpayer to make sure the best deal Is received In the transaction. 

This means many times that in a sale or purchase, the transaction or project must be put out for public bid. The public bid process allows multiple people or entities to review the scope of work, then submit their proposal and pricing, at which point the purchaser or seller of the asset can review them, then decide In a disinterested manner which best suits the needs of the municipality.

Because the bid process can be cumbersome administravely to manage, there are entities called Buyer Co-Operatives, or Buyer Co-ops, who go to bid for certain goods and services, then allow their members to purchase directly through these co-ops, without having to replicate the bid process for their specific transaction. This gives the buying or selling entity the assurance that the Co-Op has done the due diligence already, and through the power of volume, received advantageous pricing for this Item In a public forum. If the entity's legal counsel allows for the Co-Op to be used, this can be an easier way to transact business when a bid process Is needed.

Brindlee and It's umbrella companies are members of 2 Buyer Co-Ops:

NPP GOV 

2026 Updated Contract Documents can be found here

Brindlee's NPP.gov site can be reviewed and shared with customers here.

NPP Customer List can be researched here to determine if a department is already a member.

Watch a live NPP.gov overview below:

Sourcewell 

Sourcewell provides a platform on which customers can do business with Brindlee without going through a single bid process, since this process has already been completed and vetted by Sourcewell.

Brindlee's current Sourcewell Contract Number is:  101525-BLE

Brindlee's Internal Sourcwell Program Brindlee Pricing spreadsheet should be consulted regarding specific Sourcewell pricing.

Brindlee's Client-Facing Sourcewell contract and Information can be found here.

Sales Documents for Sourcewell to be given to customers can be found here.

The Sourcewell Supplier Portal Landing Page can be logged into here.

***NOTE ON SOURCEWELL***

The way BMFA pays Sourcewell (or really ANY co-operative) their administrative fee, is by logging a TQDC record on the opportunity. See process for TQDC - HERE

Please check the "Sourcewell Member" box and add the Fire Department's "Sourcewell Member Number" to the appropriate field in the TQDC Object. 

This information is required by BMFA when we send the payment file to Sourcewell each quarter. 

IF a customer or BMFA rep has questions about utilizing Sourcewell, feel free to reach out directly to our Sourcewell customer service reps: 

Chris Fornes, Senior Supplier Development Executive

Phone:   786-541-3101

Email:   Chris.Fornes@sourcewell-mn.gov

Krista Lubitz, Supplier Development Specialist

Phone:   218-541-5506

Email:   Krista.Lubitz@sourcewell-mn.gov

LaMATS

LaMATS is a Louisiana-specific purchasing Co-Operative that also provides the option for Fire Departments to access financing for used apparatus through Government Capital Corporation. 

Guidelines for Financing can be found here.

The Brindlee/LaMATS contract for inventory sales can be found here.

The Appendix related to Broker deals can be found here.

Misc Sales brochures and documents related to LaMATS can be found here.

Affiliates 

On occasion, customers will look to sell or purchase through our Affiliates using Co-Ops. 

Please reference BMFA's authorized dealers below: