4 Ways Sourcewell Contracts Help Schools and Other Nonprofits Update Their Phone Systems

It can be difficult for any organization to keep pace with rapidly changing technology — let alone a nonprofit organization with a tight budget. Fortunately, there are more than 250 cooperative purchasing organizations in the US, including cooperative purchasing organizations like Sourcewell, that offer pre-negotiated contracts on all sorts of equipment and services — including phone systems! 

If your school district, government agency, or nonprofit organization is in need of a new phone system, I’ll explore four benefits of a Sourcewell cooperative contract. But first, let’s cover the basics. 

What Is Sourcewell?

Sourcewell is a self-sustaining government organization that is focused on helping government and education organizations run more efficiently. 

Sourcewell provides: 

• Hundreds of pre-negotiated contracts that are competitively solicited nation-wide 
• Technology solutions designed specifically for schools
• A variety of regional programs and services to support area schools and communities in Minnesota

Is Sourcewell Only for Minnesota?

No! While Sourcewell is based in Minnesota — and its initial focus was on serving Minnesotan organizations — Sourcewell is now a national cooperative purchasing organization that can help government agencies, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations across the US and Canada. And just in case this was your next question, membership is completely free.

How Does Sourcewell Work?

Large companies use their size to put pressure on equipment manufacturers and service providers to get better pricing. In a nutshell, Sourcewell does the same thing, only it uses its large membership base. That way, a small public school in North Dakota isn’t always stuck paying far more than an enterprise-scale company would for the same equipment. 

Accessing Sourcewell contracts is fairly simple: 

1. Apply for membership, if your organization isn’t already a member 
2. Browse Sourcewell’s catalog of pre-negotiated contracts
3. Purchase directly from Sourcewell’s awarded vendors using pre-negotiated terms

How Cooperative Buying Can Help You Update Your Communication Tools

Over the past few years, schools and other nonprofits have had to make difficult decisions about what technology to upgrade and when. Although modern communication solutions can help organizations increase productivity and save money, it’s often difficult for nonprofits to prioritize them. 

Here’s how Sourcewell makes that easier: 

1. Get High-Quality Products That Work With Your School’s Budget

Typically, when you submit an RFP for a new phone system, I’m guessing the competitive solicitations you receive don’t always meet your expectations. In many cases, you receive responses that don't match your operational requirements or meet your requirements but exceed your budget.

Sourcewell cooperative contracts provide you with access to quality phone systems from Mitel at prices you can afford. Through these contracts, you have the opportunity to work with a provider and design the phone system that meets your needs. Sourcewell’s partnership with Mitel gives your organization access to phone systems you can afford without requiring you to make sacrifices.

2. Skip the RFP Process

The standard RFP (request for proposal) process can be time and resource-intensive, even if everything goes well. But that’s a big “if.” In cases where no vendors deliver options that are affordable and/or match your requirements, you have to start the process all over again.

Sourcewell contracts present you with prepared competitive solicitations from reliable providers that make it easy to select the products you need; in the case of telecommunication systems, Mitel is their exclusive vendor.

3. Access Custom Solutions

Perhaps the most frustrating characteristic of the RFP process is the fact that the lowest competitive solicitation often wins. And when you select the lowest solicitation, you often end up with a solution that doesn’t meet the needs of your entity or organization. They can also cost you more in the long run. 

Phone systems are like most other technology in that you tend to get what you pay for. And the solutions that provide more ROI over time don’t tend to come with bargain basement prices.

However, with the help of the Sourcewell contract process, your organization or agency can access a top-of-the-line phone system that meets or exceeds expectations at a competitive price. For example, Mitel was awarded the exclusive vendor contract from Sourcewell based on product quality, customer service, pricing, and overall market leadership.

4. Work With Quality Providers

Using Sourcewell contracts does limit your vendor selection somewhat. However, it provides you with the best pricing for the best products available in each category. Your organization also has the freedom to select a local provider you know and trust to install and maintain your phone system and provide support to your users. 

Why We Partner With Cooperative Purchasing Organizations Like Sourcewell

Schools get world-class technology and services at the best possible price, a streamlined procurement process, and membership is free. What’s in it for us? 

Fair question. 

In exchange for offering a nice price break, we get access to a large group of buyers that we don’t have to spend as much of our marketing budget on. And when you’re a technology provider that’s focused on service, the happier we make our clients over the long run, the better it is for us. We’ve been around since 1973, and we understand that in this business, one-time transactions come second to investing in long-term relationships where everybody wins. 

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