Kimball Midwest Blog

How an OMNIA Partners Contract Can Benefit YOU

Written by Kimball Midwest | June 16, 2021
The use of a cooperative contract may be unfamiliar to some. However, those that participate in the use of cooperative contracts reap the endless benefits that are associated with it. Participants of OMNIA Partners can leverage cooperative purchasing as a strategic part of their procurement strategy to drive efficiency, effectiveness and real savings within their agency or organization. And that is what Kimball Midwest is all about.

OMNIA Partners is the most experienced cooperative purchasing organization used by over 234,000 active participants, across all 50 states. Kimball Midwest is one of only eight Maintenance, Repair and Operations suppliers that can offer the discounted national pricing and has nearly 500 reps who have serviced eligible OMNIA Partners accounts.

Who is eligible to utilize OMNIA Partners cooperative contracts?

OMNIA Partners’ cooperative contract portfolio is available to entities complying with state procurement laws and regulations, such as:

  • Cities, municipalities and townships.
  • Counties.
  • Nonprofits and charitable organizations (excluding hospitals).
  • Public, private and charter schools.
  • Public and private colleges and universities.
  • Special districts and authorities.
  • States and state agencies.

OK, so you qualify, but how can OMNIA Partners help you get the best price?

On their own, a single agency’s purchasing volume might not earn a bulk discount. That changes when they participate in a cooperative purchasing organization like OMNIA Partners. That single agency becomes part of a group whose combined purchasing volume will be large enough to earn additional savings from suppliers like Kimball Midwest.

This does not mean discounts are only applied when the agency meets a buying threshold. When responding to a national solicitation, suppliers offer their best possible price based on a contract’s anticipated sales. OMNIA Partners’ awarded pricing structure is guaranteed to all participants buying from Kimball Midwest.

This leads to several benefits.

The first is that the contract was competitively solicited, evaluated and awarded by a lead government agency. Participants save time and money by piggybacking on a previously awarded contract. There are no fees, minimums or obligations to participate. Agencies will receive discounted prices with no decrease in service or product quality. Agencies can use Kimball Midwest’s website to place online orders, or representatives can service customers face to face. Participants are still eligible for most promotions, and no third parties are involved with orders – the customer deals directly with their representative every time. Oh, and it is worth mentioning, agencies do not pay any fees to join or stay with OMNIA Partners. They sign up and get discounts. It is that easy.

These cooperative contracts allow agencies to find the products they need while avoiding the Request for Proposal (RFP) process they normally go through each time for the items they need. This allows agencies to confidently source superior products from Kimball Midwest, while reaping the benefits of the service without having to go out to bid themselves. Agencies know better than we do that RFPs and bids cost valuable time, resources and money. OMNIA Partners and Kimball Midwest are here to help agencies so they can source products more efficiently and get great value on pricing and services. Taxpayers will certainly be happy.
 
The OMNIA Partners website is a great resource for agencies. Check out Kimball Midwest’s page for more information on the details of the cooperative contract and discover how to make purchases with Kimball Midwest.
 
So, if you are eligible and want to learn more about the OMNIA Partners program and the value it can bring you, we can help. All you need to do is