Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is U.S. Communities?
What are the advantages of participating in U.S. Communities?
Does U.S. Communities have professional public purchasing advisors?
Can my public agency use the program without going out for solicitation?
What is a Joint Powers or Cooperative Procurement Authority?
How can I obtain copies of the legal documentation associated with each competitively solicited contract?
What does a public agency do to participate?
How much does it cost to participate in U.S. Communities?
How is U.S. Communities funded as a nonprofit?
Can agencies other than public agencies use the program?
If there is a performance problem with a supplier, what steps do I take to resolve the problem?
If our agency wants to use the U.S. Communities contracts and buy from other contracts is that permitted?
How do I become an authorized supplier of U.S. Communities?
Does U.S. Communities offer solutions for green procurement?

U.S. Communities is a nonprofit government purchasing cooperative that reduces the cost of goods and services for participating agencies by aggregating their purchasing power nationwide. Lead public agencies competitively solicit contracts which U.S. Communities makes available to agencies and nonprofits nationwide.
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• All contracts are competitively solicited by a lead public agency
• Best supplier overall government pricing
• No user fees
• The ONLY cooperative purchasing program founded by NACo, NLC, ASBO, USCM and NIGP
• Sponsored by 70+ state and regional organizations
• Broad range of high quality products
• Third party audits performed
• Benchmarking analysis
• Oversight by key public purchasing professionals

Yes. The Advisory Board consists of public purchasing professionals that provides leadership and overall direction for U.S. Communities. View the list of Advisory Board members.
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Yes, in most states. All U.S. Communities contracts have been competitively solicited by a lead public agency in accordance with their government purchasing rules and regulations. Each solicitation contains language that advises all suppliers that the contract may be used by other government agencies throughout the United States. This language is based on the lead jurisdiction "Joint Powers Authority" or "Cooperative Procurement Authority". Although each government purchasing organization may have different purchasing procedures to follow, applying these competitive principles satisfies the competitive solicitation requirements of most state and local government agencies.
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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.
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The contract documents including the Master Agreement, Amendments, Extension, RFP and Solicitation documents are available for download on each supplier page. View Product and Supplier pages.
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Public agencies must register to participate. Registration is free and there are no restrictions on the amount or size of an order.
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There are no costs or user fees to the local agency to participate.
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Each contract supplier pays a 1% - 2.5% administrative fee to participate in the program and such fees fund operating expenses and offset costs incurred by national and state sponsors.
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Yes, nonprofit organizations can use the program in addition to counties, cities, special districts, schools, universities and colleges, towns, villages and state agencies.
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First speak to the supplier representative, but if this does not work, contact a U.S. Communities program manager.
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Yes, all U.S. Communities' contracts are non-exclusive.
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Please read the Become a Supplier page.
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Yes, U.S. Communities has a website that can help you Buy Green, with step by step guides and tips to implement a green government purchasing program. In addition, many of our suppliers have items designated to help you buy green.
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