Buy Board consultant outlines cooperative purchasing benefits, fees and rebates to Lavaca commissioners

Vicki Sutton, a business services consultant for the Buy Board Purchasing Cooperative, presented an overview of the cooperative’s services to Lavaca County commissioners on Sept. 10, describing how the program aims to shorten procurement timelines, source vendors and provide competitive pricing.

Sutton said the Buy Board, affiliated with the Texas Association of School Boards, serves school districts, municipalities, counties and higher education and has about 5,500 members. "We do charge a 2% vendor fee on our purchase orders from our members," she said, adding exceptions and flat fees for certain vehicle categories.

Sutton described the cooperative’s procurement process—vendor registration, public advertising and an 80%‑or‑higher grading standard based on price, reputation and past performance—and highlighted transparency features including published tabulations and vendor lists. She also described the cooperative’s rebate program, saying roughly 42 cents of every dollar of the vendor fee is returned to members and that last year’s total rebates exceeded $10 million; she encouraged local vendors to register so they can be invited to bid.

Commissioners asked whether small, local vehicle dealers could fairly compete with larger fleet sellers; Sutton said the cooperative considers local vendors and pricing when structuring contracts. After questions, the court accepted the presentation by motion.

Actions taken at the meeting were limited to accepting the presentation; no procurement decisions or contract awards were made on Sept. 10.