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State Term Contracts

The State has adopted several procurement methods aimed at increasing efficiency and savings for all agencies that purchase common goods or services. Rather than having every agency separately bid for a product or service, the state has created a blanket purchasing method for goods and services using its bulk buying powers. Similar to the federal GSA system, the state’s blanket contracts, or state term contracts, allow state agencies to make purchases without first engaging in a competitive or quasi-competitive process.

Once approved by the Department of Administrative Services and the State Controlling Board, a vendor is listed on a statewide database. State agencies and other public entities then can contract directly to purchase the goods and services offered. These contracts, called State Term Schedules, are renewable and can be easily amended. The State Term Schedule is beneficial in that it meets the competitive bidding requirements, has an unlimited dollar threshold, and in most cases, multiple manufacturers to choose from. In order to qualify for a state term schedule a contractor must complete and meet the requirements of the state term schedule packet in order to be listed as a vendor. Training requirements, qualifications and necessary forms can be found on the State of Ohio website.

Cooperative Purchasing Program The Cooperative Purchasing Program makes many state term contracts available to political subdivisions. The Program allows political subdivisions to pool their buying power with the state and achieve greater cost savings and efficiencies. For contractors who are on state term schedule, the Program creates an opportunity to reach a broad customer base in an efficient manner. Because the state has already satisfied competitive selection requirements by placing a vendor on state term contract, political subdivisions can purchase directly from the vendor without competitive bidding. Find more information about the Cooperative Purchasing Program on the Ohio Department of Administrative Services website.