About Suburban Purchasing Cooperative (SPC)

   

 Suburban Purchasing Cooperative (SPC) Program Brochure

The Suburban Purchasing Cooperative is a joint purchasing program sponsored by the Northwest Municipal Conference (NWMC), DuPage Mayors & Managers Conference (DMMC) South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association (SSMMA), and Will County Governmental League (WCGL). Together the SPC represents 144 municipalities and townships in northeastern Illinois.

All public agencies as defined by the Illinois Governmental Joint Purchasing Act, as well as not-for-profit agencies that qualify under Section 45-35 of the Illinois Procurement Code, are eligible to participate in SPC joint purchasing programs.   

ILL COMP. STAT. ANN §220/2.  Definitions for the purpose of this Act:  The term “public agency” shall mean any unit of local government as defined in the Illinois constitution of 1970, any school district, any public community college district, any public building commission, the State of Illinois, any agency of the State government or of the United States, or of any other State, any political subdivision of another State, and any combination of the above pursuant to an intergovernmental agreement which includes provisions for a governing body of the agency created by the agreement.

The SPC exemplifies the benefits of intergovernmental cooperation on a regional basis. The goal of the SPC is to combine the resources and purchasing power of governments and not-for-profit entities to jointly negotiate advantageous contract terms on a line of high quality products at the lowest possible price.

Economies of scale in terms of pricing and staff resources are the prime objectives of the SPC Joint Purchasing Program. By purchasing through the SPC, participants not only save money but time as well. Acting as an extension of the purchaser’s staff, SPC staff works diligently in order to avoid the needless duplication of effort through in-house coordination of several functions involved in the procurement process.

Illinois statues, 525/2 from Ch. 85, par. 1602. (Governmental Joint Purchasing Act), authorizes that any governmental unit may purchase personal property, supplies and services jointly with one or more other governmental units. All such joint purchases shall be by competitive solicitation as provided in Section 4 of this Act. 

Since 2009, the SPC Program is centrally operated by the Northwest Municipal Conference with shared program oversight by the SPC Governing Board and SPC Technical Review Committee.