Improving Public Procurement in Illinois: The Illinois Purchasing Group
Across the United States, government agencies are looking for ways to improve how they source goods and services from third-party vendors. With this goal in mind, many public agencies have discovered the benefits of joining regional purchasing groups. Purchasing groups provide buying agencies with the opportunity to share resources with like-minded agencies, to centralize the purchasing process and to make procurement more efficient.
In the state of Illinois, BidNet Direct’s Illinois Purchasing Group brings together many public agencies to provide them with access to a shared pool of pre-qualified vendors, an extensive bid library and an easy-to-use platform to manage procurement initiatives. The Illinois Purchasing Group also simplifies the registration process for vendors.
Buying agency benefits
Members of the Illinois Purchasing Group benefit from:
• Access to a shared pool of pre-qualified vendors
• An extensive bid library complete with piggybackable opportunities
• An easy-to-use platform to centralize procurement initiatives
• The ability to create, issue and distribute bids
• A simple way to evaluate vendor responses with team members
• Fully tracked and auditable procurement process
• And many other benefits.
Vendor benefits
Every vendor registered with the Illinois Purchasing Group is actively seeking to bid on opportunities posted by public buying agencies. Through the purchasing group, over 5000 vendors across nearly every industry and NIGP code gain access to exclusive bids and RFPs posted by government buyers and can browse hundreds of opportunities available in Illinois. A user-friendly interface makes it easy for vendors to find the bids that are relevant to their business, and vendors also receive real-time notifications about matching bids and RFPs posted by buying agencies.
After registering with the Illinois Purchasing Group, vendors:
• Gain access to exclusive RFPs posted by member agencies
• Receive real-time notifications about matching bids and RFPs
• Receive instant notifications about addendum from buyers
• Gain access to online bid notifications
• Benefit from opportunities to promote their goods and services to buying agencies
• And much more!
How vendors can register with the Illinois Purchasing Group
If you are a vendor who would like to register with the purchasing group, please visit the registration page here. As part of the registration process, you will be asked to provide basic information about your business and contact information for the person who will be responsible for the account. After you choose your preferred subscription option, you can begin browsing opportunities!
Buying agencies and vendors alike are learning about the many benefits that come with joining regional purchasing groups. To find out more about the Illinois Purchasing Group, contact BidNet Direct at 800-835-4603.
Find out how BidNet Direct can help your government organization today! 
