FAQs on Cooperative Purchasing with the Alliance for Innovation "AFI"

The Alliance for Innovation is a nonprofit association of the most innovative local governments. The AFI Purchasing Cooperative was formed by AFI to make it easy for public agencies across the nation to buy off of each other’s and off of various other participating coop’s properly bid contracts through reciprocity agreements under the AFI Coop umbrella. AFI also conducts bid’s itself when that best serves the interests of its’ members. The AFI Purchasing Coop operates under the authority granted by Texas Government Code Chapter 791 (Interlocal Cooperation Act) and Chapter 271.101 (Cooperative Purchasing Program). These statutes empower cities, counties, school districts, higher education institutions and special districts in Texas to purchase goods and services through contracts competitively solicited and awarded by other public agencies – provided that appropriate interlocal agreements are in place. This includes the authority to buy off of other local government contracts across state lines when state laws in another state allows such for their local governments, which most do. Any agency in a state other than Texas should confirm that their own state laws allow them to participate in cooperative purchasing agreements across state lines.

Agencies join by executing a Participating Addendum to the Master Cooperative Purchasing Agreement. This addendum enables full access to competitively procured contracts awarded by lead agencies without requiring a new agreement for each transaction. There is no cost for an agency to join the AFI Purchasing Coop.

AFI makes it a priority to maintain clear and visible documentation of its legal basis and cooperative authority. Agencies will find:

By making its statutory foundation explicit and accessible, AFI helps ensure confidence for legal, finance, and procurement officers during compliance reviews, audits, or board approvals.