|
|
|
Hi ,
Cooperative purchasing isn’t new to Indiana’s Educational Service Centers. In fact, several ESCs have been helping districts through cooperative contracts for years. What *is* new is the intentional collaboration that began early this school year, when eight ESCs came together to form the Educational Cooperative Purchasing Alliance (ECPA) and fully lean into this work. The shared goal was simple: make purchasing easier for districts by offering competitive, dependable contracts they can trust.
Forming the ECPA has allowed the ESCs to deepen how we support districts. Each ESC now has dedicated staff that focus specifically on vendor contracts and work alongside districts to help navigate the procurement and purchasing process, answer questions along the way, and serve as a first line of support when vendor issues or concerns come up. Instead of districts having to manage everything on their own, they have a partner who understands both the contracts and their day-to-day needs.
With the continued budget pressures schools are facing, this collaborative approach couldn’t come at a better time. By elevating cooperative purchasing as a key service, Indiana’s ESCs are working together to help districts save time, stretch dollars further, and focus more of their energy where it matters most—supporting students and staff.
Sincerely,
Your ECPA team |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ECPA Webinar: K12 Procurement and Contracts/Amazon Business Intro
-
When: Thursday, February 26, 2026, at 1 PM ET
-
Who should join: Business Managers, District CFOs, Purchasing Staff, Treasurers
|
|
|
| Register Now |
|
Thank you to the 30 districts who joined us for our January webinar! If you weren't able to attend or would like to listen in again, join us for the February session.
|
|
|
|
VENDOR SPOTLIGHT & TESTIMONIAL |
|
|
|
|
|
Did you know that Staples sells more toilet paper than copy paper? Most people don't think of Staples for janitorial items, but they are helping schools in Indiana with free next-day delivery and government pricing on brands like Georgia Pacific, Kimberly Clark, Gojo, Tork, Diversey, and Coastwide.
John Glenn School Corporation made the switch to Staples when the contract became available, looking for an easier purchasing experience along with more competitive pricing.
“While Amazon is an excellent vendor, the customer service you get from Trisha Collazo and her team is the best by far. They are quick to respond to any problem with a solution. Staples has been delivering next-day products to our location, and they are all fantastic. Pricing has also been better or comparable to items we had been getting elsewhere.” - Laine Vincent, Admin Office Assistant
16 of our member districts are leveraging the Staples contract—you can, too. Reach out to Trisha Collazo to get a quick cost analysis by just providing an invoice for items your district purchases regularly.
|
| View Contract |
|
|
|
|
|
The Educational Cooperative Purchasing Alliance (ECPA) is a collaborative alliance between eight Indiana education service centers dedicated to streamlining the purchasing process for member school districts. ECPA’s purchasing team actively works to remove barriers for schools, streamlining and simplifying the procurement process while ensuring full compliance with state and federal regulations. Through vetted contracts with leading vendors, ECPA enables districts to leverage collective buying power to secure high-quality goods and services at significantly reduced costs. |
| Explore Contracts |
|
|
|
|
|
|
