State & Local Government Policy, Business and Technology

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American City and County: Over the past few years, the popularity of cooperative purchasing practices has increased dramatically and has transformed the landscape of government procurement permanently. Last spring, American City & County explored government co-ops, offering a primer on their function and importance. This article will go a step further, examining the trends currently shaping the practice that will impact how procurement is done now and into the future.

How did we get here?
Cooperative purchasing, as a concept, dates back to the ‘30s, but the rise of modern co-ops really has its roots in 2008’s Great Recession. During this period, government staffing took a huge hit, one from which procurement departments never really recovered.

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