What is a Joint Powers or Cooperative Procurement Authority?
State statutes and, if applicable, local ordinances generally allow one government agency to purchase from contracts competitively solicited by another government agency (“Lead Public Agency”). This, of course, would require the consent of all parties including the supplier, the Lead Public Agency and the government agency purchasing from the Lead Public Agency contract. U.S. Communities contracts are established to meet both the competitive solicitation and consent requirements. Generally, a public body may participate in, sponsor, conduct or administer a cooperative procurement agreement with one or more other public bodies, or agencies of the United States, for the purpose of combining requirements to increase efficiency or reduce administrative expenses. In some states, this power is not passed on to localities.
