1. A. General. Intergovernmental cooperative purchasing means a method of source selection that permits an LEA to aggregate with other government entities their common requirements for purposes of maximizing economies of scale when soliciting bids or proposals for goods and commodities or to purchase its requirements from another governmental entity's contract if that contract is an intergovernmental cooperative purchasing agreement.

2. B. An LEA may use the intergovernmental cooperative purchasing method if it determines that the method:

   1. (1) Will provide cost benefits, promote administrative efficiencies, or promote governmental cooperation; and
   2. (2) Is not intended to avoid competition.

3. C. Types. An LEA may use the following types of intergovernmental cooperative purchasing method:

   1. (1) Pooling, a method that includes the following steps:

      1. (a) Each participating governmental entity agrees to procure its respective requirements from the successful bidder or offeror;
      2. (b) A lead jurisdiction conducts the procurement on behalf of all participants; and
      3. (c) Either a master contract award or awards is made by the lead jurisdiction on behalf of all participants or each participant awards its own contract; and
   2. (2) Piggybacking, a method wherein an LEA purchases its requirements from another governmental entity's contract if that contract contains an intergovernmental cooperative purchasing clause.

Authority: Education Article, §§4-126, 5-112, and 5-303, Annotated Code of Maryland

Effective date: May 21, 2007 (34:10 Md. R. 891)

Regulation .04C amended effective November 14, 2011 (38:23 Md. R. 1423)

COMAR 23.03.03 recodified to be COMAR 14.39.03 under new subtitle, Interagency Commission on School Construction, effective November 4, 2019 (46:22 Md. R. 979)

Regulation .01A amended effective November 4, 2019 (46:22 Md. R. 979)

Regulation .05 amended effective November 4, 2019 (46:22 Md. R. 979)

Regulation .06B, C amended effective November 4, 2019 (46:22 Md. R. 979)

Regulation .06D amended effective May 11, 2026 (53:9 Md. R. 414)

Regulation .07 amended effective November 4, 2019 (46:22 Md. R. 979)

Regulation .09B amended effective November 4, 2019 (46:22 Md. R. 979)