Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCU Cooperative) is governed by the The Cooperative Board of Directors. The seven-member board may comprise of procurement officials; and nonprofit Trade Associations officials.
The Cooperative is funded by sponsorship, donations and events/conferences.
The awarded Vendor pays the The Cooperative or approved contracted vendor a minimal administrative fee (usually 3% of products purchased) to participate in this program. This fee covers the costs for contract marketing and facilitation and it offsets operating expenses incurred by the Cooperative and/ or its affiliate. The Cooperative usually does not have taxing or levying authority. We are a nonprofit organization acting as a self-supporting entity. The Cooperative also shares these fees with other affiliate partnering cooperatives as they elect to help facilitate and market the contracts in their specific regions.
There is no cost to join or participate.
Qualifying organizations must register to participate and may join in a matter of minutes online. There are many ways to join:
1. Visit the join/signup section of this website to review member benefits and complete an online application; download our printable participate form or
2. Simply participate in our programs and services. Your membership is automatically activated when a purchase
3. Orders are executed through our contracts. When this happens, the Cooperative will get in touch with your organization, so you can supply us with the necessary organizational and contact information.
- Participating Membership (Voting)
- Participating Memberships are free and carry no liability.
- Full voting memberships are limited to the cooperative members. Full-voting Members are required to sign a membership agreement and pay a one-time $10.00 membership fee. These organizations are eligible to nominate their governing board members to serve on the The Cooperative Board. They also become responsible for any liabilities The Cooperative may incur. Participating Memberships are free and carry no organizational liability.
- Participating Membership (Non-Voting)
- Other organization
After membership has been established, the member contacts the approved vendor directly for specific product, service, ordering, delivery and billing information. The Cooperative and affiliate monitors contract compliance by the vendor to ensure a high level of service, quality of goods and customer service are being delivered to the member. Prior to executing the purchase order, it is the member's responsibility to review and accept the general terms and conditions of the specific Request for Proposal (RFP) of interest and to execute the purchase order directly with the awarded vendor. Your membership allows the The Cooperative Board of Directors and the Cooperative staff to facilitate the bid and procurement responsibilities on your behalf.
Yes, in most states. All the Cooperative bid contracts have been competitively solicited nationally, reviewed and awarded by the Cooperative Board of Directors in accordance with each state status. Each solicitation and Request for Proposal (RFP) contains language which includes all qualified customers in all fifty states. The RFP advises all responders that they must apply to all qualified customers in all 50 states and in some cases the provinces and territories of Canada. All RFP respondents understand that these contracts shall be used by member of the cooperative throughout the United States.
Yes, higher education systems may participate in the cooerative in accordance to each state statue.
Yes. We have contracted with Employee Healthcare Group plans, Employee Financial Group plans and Employees Group Benefit plans (Incentive & Discounts).
Greater savings, more quickly and for longer
- Reduced risk
- Streamlined and cost-effective procurement
- Products and services for optimized supply chain management
- Increased spend influence and savings