National Cooperative Purchasing Alliance(NCPA)
A national cooperative purchasing program that facilitates competitively solicited contracts for state and local government entities.
Overview
The National Cooperative Purchasing Alliance (NCPA) is a leading government purchasing cooperative that works with a lead public agency to competitively solicit and award contracts that any participating public entity can access. NCPA streamlines procurement for state, local, and educational agencies by eliminating the need for individual competitive solicitations.
Why It Matters in GovCon
For contractors targeting the SLED market, an NCPA contract opens doors to thousands of government buyers nationwide without requiring a separate bid process at each entity. NCPA contracts carry the competitive solicitation compliance that public agencies need to satisfy their procurement regulations.
Key Details
- Lead Agency Model: A single public agency conducts the competitive solicitation; the resulting contract is available to all NCPA members.
- Membership: Over 90,000 public agencies participate in NCPA at no membership cost.
- Contract Scope: NCPA contracts cover a wide range of products and services including IT, facilities, and professional services.
- Compliance: Contracts satisfy competitive bidding requirements in most jurisdictions.
- Administrative Fee: Vendors pay a small administrative fee on sales made through NCPA contracts.
How GovCon Data Can Help
GovCon Data includes cooperative purchasing opportunities in its SLED data, helping contractors identify NCPA and similar vehicles alongside traditional federal solicitations.
Related Terms
- Group Purchasing Organization (GPO)
- Cooperative Purchasing
- SLED (State, Local, and Education)
- Sourcewell
More Programs Terms
An SBA program that helps small businesses owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals compete for federal contracts.
A subcategory of WOSB for women-owned small businesses where the owners are also economically disadvantaged, eligible for additional sole-source contracts.
An SBA program that gives preferential access to federal contracts for small businesses located in economically distressed areas.
A program pairing large experienced contractors with small businesses to help them build capabilities through joint ventures, subcontracting, and technical assistance.
A small business at least 51% owned and controlled by one or more veterans with a service-connected disability, eligible for federal set-aside contracts.
A small business at least 51% owned and controlled by one or more women, eligible for federal set-aside contracts in underrepresented industries.
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