The purpose of the formation was to achieve standardization of requirements, methods of operation and to buy at optimum quantity discounts. At these meetings price agreement award decisions are made. The IUC has established approximately 21 price agreements ranging from dormitory mattresses to computers. The bidders list is maintained in the Contract Administrator's office. Responsibilities for writing specifications and conducting the individual bidding procedures are shared by the State Universities.
Members are responsible for the bid process in their assigned agreements.
Bids are tabulated by the bidding school, award recommendations submitted and the documents are forwarded to the Contract Administrator who presents them to the membership for a vote. Award decisions are based on the most responsive and responsible bid submitted and consideration is given to price, quality, capability and services offered by the bidder. IUC price agreements are similar to State Purchasing contracts in many respects. Some agreements are for a specific item or group of items and awarded to a single bidder, while others seek competitive proposals for various manufacturer's lines with multiple awards being issued. The price agreements issued by the Inter-University Council Purchasing Group are handled very professionally, provide an open and competitive forum for all interested vendors, comply with competitive bidding principles and provide significant cost savings and increased services to member institutions.