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Cooperative purchasing is becoming increasingly popular among cities and counties, with total sales from national co-ops growing from $29.3 billion in 2015 to $59.7 billion in 2023. Technology is a significant category for local governments in cooperative buying, with a strong preference for using co-ops to make technology purchases. Cooperative contracts can help alleviate challenges faced by government procurement teams, such as staffing limitations, demanding internal clients, and budget shortfalls. These contracts can save time, money, and potentially reduce risk. Local governments are also exploring other tools to boost efficiency, including statewide contracts, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contracts, longer-term supply contracts, and e-Procurement systems. Consulting with the vendor community and developing partnerships can help local governments stay ahead of the curve and ensure their technology purchases align with their needs and goals. Procurement teams should stay educated on the latest technology trends and investigate emerging trends like generative-AI to gain efficiency in their job. OMNIA Partners offers a range of cooperative contracts in the public procurement space, including in the technology sector. [Extracted from the article]

The article focuses on the advancement of Florida in innovative government procurement practices. It is one of the first states in the country to introduce electronic procurement. The state has implemented strategic sourcing on its own without consulting support. Its procurement of equipment maintenance management services comes from strategic sourcing playbook.

The article discusses the results on a survey about the adoption of electronic procurement by local government procurement practitioners in the U.S. It was found that the practitioners have different perception about the technology which are based upon the level of centralization of the purchasing organization. There is a variation in the level of e-procurement adoption and integration with other system. Majority of them stress that such technology improves the overall purchasing efficiency.

The article offers suggestions to overcome the hurdles of e-procurement adoption. The article states that interenterprise process flow with the third party suppliers is the key for success in e-procurement. It is added that a software as a service removes the obstacles of limited informational technology resources and transparency in government purchasing can be used as a tool in e-procurement.

The article presents opinions of the editorial advisory board of the journal "Government Procurement," which comprise of seven public-sector procurement professionals representing a wide range of entities, including municipal, county, state, airport and higher education. Board members presented quite a range of opinions on e-procurement, with uses ranging from full implementation to a cautious approach to the technology. According to Burr Millsap, Associate Vice President for Administrative Affairs, University of Oklahoma, e-procurement at the university has enjoyed success to a certain level. The combination of a Web site with downloadable documents, a procurement card program and contracts with vendors offering e-commerce capability meets the university's needs for now.

The article presents information on how to make the experience of on the end-user of e-procurement far easier and "far less painful." It states that as e-procurement platforms become more user-friendly, they have, conversely, become far more difficult to administer. The cost of implementation, as well as the time commitment for updating catalog content and maintaining hardware, is beyond the ability of most schools. That is why many schools are looking at the application service provider model when considering an e-procurement implementation.

The article focuses on problems faced due to technology-based contracts. According to the author, systems and applications based on new technical advancements have tantalized and often fulfilled their promises of enabling entities to gain greater efficiency over current processes. The truth, however, is that modern technology also brings with it a number of complexities. Often, the very technologies designed to make jobs easier can unexpectedly drive down an entity's productivity in unforeseen ways. Nowhere is this more evident than in modern contracting systems. Recent advancements in contracting applications have enhanced the overall performance of many e-procurement systems, but this does not mean that contracting time itself is reduced.

The article focuses on the advantages of electronic procurement (e-procurement) over the enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. It include comments from Michigan Budget Director John Nixon that e-procurement system provide better data tracking. It adds the advantages includes quick implementation, spend savings and less focus ERP on public sector. It also adds the views of Michigan governor, Rick Snyder on revitalization of information technology.

The article focuses on the efficiency of using vertical approach in sourcing product or service online. Among the tools that can be used in sourcing are Google and Yahoo search engines. One must choose vertical search sites because of its terminology options and customized search processes which allow flexibility. These vertical search sites provides contact details to reach vendor.

The article discusses integration of e-procurement with financial systems of an organization. Topics discussed include use of modern technologies in integration, funding against Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, integration into core financial business processes, and views of Jeff Brownlee, chief procurement officer of Michigan, on streamlining the processes in the industry.

The article reports that the procurement solution provider Periscope Holdings Inc. has expanded its partnership with non-profit organization National Institute of Governmental Purchasing Inc. (NIGP) to manage the NIGP consulting program. Topics discussed include support of consulting services in areas like strategic procurement planning, contract management and e-procurement, and provision of expertise by Periscope for deliverable production, best practices identification and benchmarking.

The article reports on the expansion of Wal-Mart's food-related presence online in Bentonville, Arkansas. The company added tens of thousands of food and health and beauty care (HBC) items to its electronic commerce (e-commerce) website, but are not available to purchase for delivery. It mentions that the items are linked to a "search in store" feature.

The article reports that the Green Electronics Council and Hewlett-Packard Co. have announced that the HP rp5700 Business Desktop PC is the first product to meet the stringent requirements that comprise the gold status of the Electronic Products Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) in the U.S. Information about the features of EPEAT-registered products is presented.

The article focuses on the Achievement of Excellence in Procurement (AEP) award program founded by National Purchasing Institute (NPI). It is designed to measure innovation, professionalism, productivity, e-procurement, and leadership attributes of the procurement organization. The organizations that fall in standardized criteria are awarded annually with AEP. It was created by NPI to encourage development of excellence, to provide benchmarks for continued excellence.

The Institute for eCommerce at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is conducting a study on e-procurement initiatives in government. The project's authors aim to improve the understanding of barriers and facilitators that affect government organizations' ability to adopt and disseminate successful e-procurement applications. In the survey, participants will be asked to answer questions about e-procurement-related plans and strategies, as well as managerial and organizational issues pertaining to their particular entities. The survey's goal is to enhance understanding of helps and hindrances that affect governments' abilities to adopt and distribute Internet technologies in the procurement process.

The article focuses on e-procurement. It states that in today's procurement world, security involves much more than sealed bids that remain under lock and key until a specified hour. Security in the world of e-procurement has a different meaning. New technology has created the electronic efficiencies of data sharing and document construction, made digital signatures and e-contracts a reality and brought security concerns to new levels. In 1980s, computer users were concerned with viruses that spread mostly by floppy disk. With e-mail, one of the most important business communication tools of today, viruses are spreading faster than ever.

The article offers news briefs related to technology as of May 2012. Designer Erick de Nijs, owner of Nieuwel Heren, has designed the Beauty and the Geek pants which feature wireless mouse, keyboard and speakers. Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in New York was able to save $8 million form its three purchasing contracts through e-procurement and online reverse auctions. A survey was conducted on the use and efficient of P-cards systems across public agencies.

The article discusses factors affecting U.S. government contracting. Topics covered include the emergence of instructional technology citing Webinars and online courses in training employees, introduction of courses on public procurement in educational institutions to inspire young people, and the practice of cooperative purchasing in acquiring goods and services. Also mentioned is the 15% increment in the application of electronic procurement of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.

The article discusses strategies for U.S. restaurants to enhance the value of their business in 2016. Topics include the need to revamp their dining area or kitchen space, adding online ordering or delivery services, stepping up employee engagement efforts and transforming the supply chain to meet consumer demand.

The article features eBay Motors, the electronic auction marketplace for selling vehicles, auto parts and accessories. According to director Rob Chesney, eBay Motors has sold more than one million vehicles since 2000. The online auction house touts the advantages of having 10 million visitors, having flat fees, a huge variety of vehicles on offer and no seasonality. INSET: Boy Entrepreneur Starts eBay Auto Listing Service.

Presents an author's experience in selling service in a self-serve world through the use of electronic commerce. Perspective of the author on the significance of self-service; Preference of the author on online purchasing; Comparison of the self-service with personnel service.

The article reports that the city of Berkley in Michigan has joined the MITN Purchasing Group, an electronic procurement system that helps vendors access and compete for local government bids, as of May 2015.

The article reports on the increase of sales at the Sizzler grill-and-salad bar chain in El Segundo, California due to the new self-order kiosks and point-of-sale system that it installed in 2010.

This article presents information on MedAssets Inc. which is a newcomer to the Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs) fold, formed between 2000 and 2002, when as a startup healthcare e-procurement company it purchased first InSource, a West Coast-based GPO, and then St. Louis-based Health Services Corp. of America. It has grown rapidly since then, partly because of its lean overhead structure and also because of its somewhat different fee-for-service business model. In its basic form a GPO aggregates purchasing power to achieve better pricing for members.