Cooperative contracts vs RFPs for higher-ed lockers

A cooperative contract is pre-competed. Your institution piggy-backs on a competitive solicitation that another entity has already run, satisfying many procurement bylaws without re-doing the work.

The case for cooperative: speed (8–12 weeks vs 4–6 months), reduced procurement overhead, and pre-vetted vendor terms.

The case for RFP: tailored scope, line-item pricing transparency, and the option to require specific integrations or service levels your campus uniquely needs.

A hybrid approach is common: use a cooperative for the hardware and standard install, and add a campus-specific SOW for integration work.

Whichever path you choose, document the basis for your decision in the procurement file. Auditors prefer the answer 'we evaluated both' to 'we picked the fastest one'.