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Sourcewell vs. OMNIA Partners vs. E&I: Which Cooperative Should Your University Use?

E&I, Sourcewell, and OMNIA Partners are the three cooperatives higher-ed procurement teams reach for most. Here is how they actually differ — from a neutral, buyer's point of view — and how to decide which contract to use.

Last reviewed: August 2026

If you handle purchasing for a college or university, you have almost certainly run into the same question: the supplier you want is on an E&I contract, a Sourcewell contract, and an OMNIA Partners contract — so which one do you use? All three let you buy off a competitively solicited contract without running your own RFP, but they are structured very differently, and those differences matter for compliance, pricing, and the categories each covers best.

Short answer: E&I is the education specialist, Sourcewell is a government agency whose contracts are easy to cite for compliance, and OMNIA Partners is the largest and broadest. There is no wrong choice — most institutions join all three and pick the best contract for each purchase.

How E&I, Sourcewell, and OMNIA Partners compare

Every cooperative here does the same core job: a lead agency runs a full competitive solicitation, awards a contract, and other eligible public entities can then buy off that contract — no separate bid required. Joining is free and carries no obligation. Where they diverge is who runs them, who they serve, and what they are strongest at.

Comparison of E&I, Sourcewell, and OMNIA Partners for higher education
	E&I Cooperative Services	Sourcewell	OMNIA Partners
What it is	Member-owned, non-profit cooperative built exclusively for education	A Minnesota government agency (formerly NJPA) that solicits its own contracts	The largest U.S. cooperative; a private company aggregating lead-agency contracts
Who it serves	Education only — higher ed, K-12, and research institutions	Government, education, and nonprofits	Public sector, education, and eligible private-sector buyers
Strongest categories	Scientific & lab, furniture, library, IT, facilities, professional services	Equipment, vehicles & fleet, facilities, technology	Broadest portfolio: facilities, MRO, technology, office, furniture
Cost to join	Free, member-owned	Free, no obligation	Free registration
Compliance angle	Built around education procurement rules and academic governance	A government agency — often the easiest contract to cite for public-bid compliance	Lead-agency awarded; verify the awarding agency fits your state

Contract counts and category coverage change over time. Always confirm a specific contract's terms and your institution's eligibility with the cooperative and your procurement office before relying on it.

E&I Cooperative Services — the education specialist

E&I is the only major cooperative built exclusively for education, and it is member-owned — the colleges, universities, and research institutions that use it are also its owners. That focus shows up in its portfolio: E&I is strongest in the categories campuses actually struggle to source, like scientific and lab equipment, classroom and residence-hall furniture, library, and research-related services. If your purchase is distinctly higher-ed, E&I is usually the first place to look.

Read the full E&I buyer's guide →

Sourcewell — the government agency

Sourcewell is a public agency in Minnesota (you may remember it as the National Joint Powers Alliance, or NJPA, before its 2018 rebrand). Because it is itself a government entity that competitively solicits its own contracts, buyers often find Sourcewell contracts among the easiest to justify for public-bid compliance. It is strongest in equipment, vehicles and fleet, facilities, and technology, and its member base — more than 50,000 agencies — gives it real leverage on pricing.

Read the full Sourcewell buyer's guide →

OMNIA Partners — the largest and broadest

OMNIA Partners is the biggest cooperative purchasing organization in the country. Rather than soliciting everything itself, it aggregates master agreements that lead public agencies have competitively awarded, and it serves both public and private-sector buyers. The practical upside for a university is breadth: if a category exists, OMNIA probably has a contract for it. The trade-off is that you should confirm the lead agency that awarded a given contract is one your state recognizes.

Read the full OMNIA Partners buyer's guide →

Where does NASPO ValuePoint fit?

A fourth cooperative, NASPO ValuePoint, is state-led and especially strong in large IT and software contracts. Its catch is geographic: whether you can use a given NASPO contract depends on whether your state participated in it. It is worth checking alongside the other three, particularly for technology buys.

How to choose in practice

Start with the category. Lab, library, or campus furniture? Check E&I first. Fleet, grounds, or facilities equipment? Sourcewell. Anything broad or unusual? OMNIA Partners.
Compare the same supplier across contracts. A vendor on multiple cooperatives may offer different pricing and terms on each. Comparing is where the savings hide.
Confirm compliance for your state. Your procurement office has the final say on which cooperatives and lead agencies your institution can use.
Join all three. Membership is free with no obligation, so there is no reason to limit your options ahead of time.

The one genuinely time-consuming part is the comparison itself — each cooperative has its own portal and search. That is exactly the gap Understory closes: search E&I, Sourcewell, OMNIA Partners, and NASPO ValuePoint contracts together, in one place, and compare a supplier's options side by side.

Frequently asked questions

Is OMNIA Partners the same as Sourcewell?

No. They are separate organizations. Sourcewell is a Minnesota government agency that solicits and awards its own cooperative contracts. OMNIA Partners is a private company that aggregates master agreements competitively awarded by lead public agencies. A supplier may appear on both, but the contracts, terms, and pricing are different, so it is worth comparing the same supplier across both.

Is OMNIA Partners a legitimate cooperative?

Yes. OMNIA Partners is the largest cooperative purchasing organization in the United States. Its contracts are competitively solicited and awarded by a lead public agency, which is what makes them usable by other public entities, including colleges and universities. Always confirm a specific contract meets your institution and state procurement requirements before relying on it.

Can a university use more than one purchasing cooperative?

Yes, and most do. Colleges and universities typically hold memberships with several cooperatives at once and pick the best contract for each purchase. Joining is free and carries no obligation to buy, so there is little downside to being a member of E&I, Sourcewell, and OMNIA Partners simultaneously.

Do cooperative purchasing organizations cost money to join?

For eligible buyers, joining E&I, Sourcewell, and OMNIA Partners is free with no purchase obligation. The cooperatives are funded by administrative fees that awarded suppliers pay when their contract is used, not by member dues.

Which cooperative is best for higher education?

There is no single best cooperative. E&I is built exclusively for education and is strongest in campus-specific categories like scientific and lab equipment, furniture, and library. Sourcewell, as a government agency, is easy to cite for compliance and strong in equipment, vehicles, and facilities. OMNIA Partners has the broadest contract portfolio. Most higher-ed buyers use all three and choose per purchase.