CarolinaBUY & AEPA

AEPA & CarolinaBUY serves public agency members through a continuous effort to explore and solve present and future cooperative purchasing needs.  We are pleased to offer significant savings on everything it takes to run a school or office. Our contracts offer the best prices on quality products and services based on the needs of Educational Facilities, Non-Profit Organizations, and Municipalities across the nation.

CarolinaBUY is the State agency of the AEPA (Association of Educational Purchasing Agencies). Carolinas Alliance 4 Innovations (CA4I) in Greenville, SC, was approved by AEPA in mid-2020 as the statewide cooperative contract purchasing agency and operates “CarolinaBUY” as the Carolinas Member. Contracts offered through CarolinaBUY were solicited nationally by the 29 State Lead Agency Consortium of AEPA, providing the most competitive pricing available.

What is Cooperative Purchasing?

Buying anything for a K-12 school, non-profit or government organization can turn complicated quickly — especially when the cost of goods reaches a state’s requirement for a formal bid from vendors.

The National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO) has tried to define cooperatives because they come in many forms.

The Association of Educational Purchasing Agencies (AEPA) fits in the association’s definition of a “true cooperative” because it is an arrangement in which two or more organizations combine their requirements and solicit bids for goods, aggregating volume to enhance their purchasing power.

Another type of co-op arrangement under NASPO’s definitions is the option for “piggybacking,” the term for contract language that lets another agency share a lead agency’s purchasing contract with the consent of the awarded vendor under the same terms and conditions.

Finally, a third-party aggregator is a co-op arrangement where an organization – possibly a school, non-profit, or public agency – brings together multiple organizations to represent their requirements and manage the resulting contract or contractor.

Benefits:

• Free to join
• Free quotes and assessments on projects through CarolinaBUY
• Eliminate cumbersome and time consuming procurement steps
• Save money by accessing competitively bid products and services
• Access vendors across many categories (over 70 vendor partners—and growing!)
• Simplify your procure-to-pay process

​States Served
North Carolina & South Carolina

​Eligible Members

• Counties, Cities and Municipalities
• Public and Private Schools/Districts
• Public and Private Colleges & Universities
• Human Service and Recreation Agencies
• Churches & Child Development Centers
• Nonprofits & Faith Based Organizations

CarolinaBUY Vendors offer products and services that meet needs, and maximize your savings.

Who are Active Members?

Eligible members choose to be Active buyers. CarolinaBUY wants to serve all members through on-going efforts to solve present and future cooperative purchasing needs.

Members may request Vendor assessments and cost savings quotes through CarolinaBUY.