Nonprofit Cooperative Program Vendor

RSS is an approved, awarded vendor through the TIPS-USA Purchasing Cooperative. TIPS is a legal, nonprofit, competitively bid procurement contract program run by government employees for use by schools, nonprofits, cities, counties and other government entities. Unlike many of the other cooperative programs, TIPS-USA empowers the public entity to select the best products, the best contractors, at guaranteed fair market value.

Of special note is TIPS has awarded RSS a trade, labor and materials contract allowing us to meet any of your needs with a one time efficient, yet value priced purchase order. That means that this program can save you time AND money on any of your organizational needs beyond the roofing envelope. While you may already be familiar with cooperatives, they are not all created equal.

Watch this video for a brief overview of the TIPS-USA program.  

Or for an independent perspective take a look at this article written by an Architect, unaffiliated with RSS.   Non-Traditional Procurement Methods – A Guide to Better Understanding Facility Decisions when Using Cooperative Purchasing Agreements

A newly added AIA accredited 1 credit course specifically created to introduce Design Professionals to the TIPS-USA Cooperative. This program will educate you on the advantages of the TIPS program; where you are welcomed into the procurement process.

Benefits of a Buying Cooperative

  • National buying power and influence across a multitude of industries
  • Built-in price compliance tool , assuring fair market value
  • Time and money savings from national purchasing contracts. TIPS can be utilized for job order contracting work as well as a full turn key service.
  • Assistance with the purchasing process from qualified, knowledgeable representatives

How TIPS is Different:

  • Not for profit vs. other co-ops are for profit.
  • Multiple sources award​ed vs. other co-ops are single-source awards.
  • Embraces working with you, your contractor, or your independent design professional IF you so choose vs. other co-ops use their own in-house design professionals, which creates the ‘fox guarding the henhouse’ effect
  • Entity chooses best value pricing vs. other co-ops who have set/locked in pricing that is non-negotiable.
  • Ultimately works the same as a job in the private world vs. other co-ops requiring the owner buy materials directly.
  • Responsibilities are clear cut, making school officials’ lives easier vs. other co-ops, causing finger-pointing and confusion on who to call when problems arise.

As you are reading this – maybe you believe that the time consuming and costly process of going out bid, where specs can be challenged and the lowest bid may not come with a quality contractor is still the best way to price your project? 

Allow us to educate you on how TIPS offers the ability for all public entities to procure products and services without having to change anything in your process. Simply purchase products and services at fair market prices without the delay and expense of going out to bid. In fact, TIPS enhances your ability to cut out the worst part of a bid or another cooperative program.

  • TIPS empowers the member to drive competitive pricing vs. other co-ops to determine pricing for projects through their bid process.
  • TIPS allows procurement to happen through its normal process vs. other co-ops get involved in the process, causing slowdowns and third-party interference.
  • TIPS is accessible to all public organizations as a non-profit public entity serving other non-profit public entities vs. other co-ops are for-profit organizations.
  • TIPS members solicit quotes directly from contractors that YOU choose vs. other co-ops require all proposals are directed through them.

Bottom Line

RSS wants to be a resource for your organization. We want to educate you on the benefits of this free program and save taxpayer dollars. We want to see money spent IN our schools, not ON them! If you have a preferred contractor, great. If you don’t, we can suggest a qualified and reputable contractor for you. The key is that YOU are empowered to control the project. We are simply here to help facilitate the process and walk you through it.

NOTE: We also offer no-cost lunch-and-learns and education seminars on this topic for an unlimited number of attendees. We can do so virtually or in person. For more information, schedule a quick 15-minute appointment here.

Contact us today to learn more about our roofing systems and solutions.

(859) 360-9225