Purchasing via E&I Cooperative Services (E&I) benefits for higher education institutions for a number of reasons:

• Cost savings: E&I is the only non-profit procurement cooperative exclusively focused on education. E&I helps its member institutions save money on their purchases by negotiating discounted prices and streamlined procurement processes with best-in-class providers by purchasing via E&I’s contracts, higher education institutions can take advantage of these cost savings, which can help them stretch their budgets and allocate more resources to other priorities, such as student success.
• Streamlined procurement: Higher education institutions that partner with E&I can benefit from the organization’s competitively awarded procurement processes, which can help them save time and reduce administrative burden on busy procurement departments, acting as an extension of that department. By leveraging these services, higher education institutions can focus on their core mission of educating students rather than managing an additional procurement process.
• Access to a wide range of products and services: E&I has a wide range of products and services available to its member institutions, including everything from office supplies and furniture to IT and facilities management. By partnering with E&I, higher education institutions can access these products and services at discounted prices, helping them save money and improve their operations.
• Expertise and support: Higher education institutions that partner with E&I benefit from the organization’s expertise and support in procurement, supply chain management, and sustainability. Training and support for procurement professionals, guidance on sustainability initiatives, strategic spend assessments, and access to best practices and case studies.
• Networking and collaboration: Higher education institutions that partner with E&I can benefit from the opportunity to network and collaborate with other institutions and organizations that are also focused on cost savings and efficiency. E&I members share best practices, learn from others’ experiences, and work together to solve common challenges.

Overall, partnering with E&I can provide higher education institutions with expedited access to supplier contracts that save money and streamline procurement processes. By leveraging the organization’s expertise and resources, higher education institutions can improve their operations and allocate more resources to their core mission of educating students.

About Columbia Advisory Group:
Columbia Advisory Group (CAG) is a leading Information Technology (IT) consulting firm. CAG’s team has assessed and helped improve the performance of more than 300 technology organizations and IT departments, including many higher education institutions, state agencies, and Fortune 50 customers. Practice specialty areas include Infrastructure, IT Service Management, Cybersecurity, and A/V Services. CAG improves business outcomes with IT insights and expert technical support. Based in Dallas, Texas, CAG works extensively with clients throughout the U.S. Contact us at info@columbiaadvisory.com.