Finally, Government Procurement Just Got Easier. A New Collaboration is Making it Possible

The local government procurement process is often very challenging. Government buyers may not know exactly what they need for complex projects, compliance paperwork entangles employees in a bureaucratic mess, historically underutilized and local businesses can at times have difficulty navigating the procurement process, systems can often be outdated, and the list goes on, leading to further frustrations. 

All this results in governments spending more money on products and services that may not be the best fit or price. Ultimately, inefficiencies and lack of competition end up hurting residents whose tax dollars fund government spending, which ends up being a very pretty penny. 

State and local governments spend trillions each year, around 15% of GDP. That’s money spent on products as simple as notepads to specialized services. There is potential to save governments millions by streamlining procurement.

Finally, a new collaboration is making that possible.

Civic Marketplace, a new government purchasing platform, teamed up with TXShare, a cooperative purchasing group, to solve today’s most pressing procurement problems by making searching for pre-vetted contracts as simple as online shopping.

Civic Marketplace and TXShare have worked to simplify the process, removing the need for extensive paperwork and sluggish negotiations, handling tasks such as compliance and bid solicitation, allowing governments to concentrate on enhancing services for their residents. 

"Our vision is to empower local procurement officials to make faster, easier, and more transparent purchasing decisions," said Ron Holifield, President and Co-founder of Civic Marketplace and one of the leading minds in government innovation today. "This collaboration will ultimately lead to more efficient public services, directly resulting in positive and dramatic outcomes for residents across the country."

TXShare, which is part of The North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), competitively procures and awards pre-negotiated contracts that other governments can utilize. But what makes TXShare so useful is the amount of service-oriented contracts it provides. 

“We offer public sector procurement consulting services, grants management, and information technology services,” said Jon Blackman, COM of NCTCOG. “These contracts are essential for our TXShare members, needing these contracts on a cooperative like TXShare.” 

Civic Marketplace makes shopping these contracts frictionless by acting as a powerful contract search engine. The Civic Marketplace team spent the last two years working directly with public sector buyers to create a platform that addresses procurers’ buying challenges. Government buyers can easily browse, filter, and compare fully compliant contracts tailored to their specific needs. Procurers can also search for local vendors and historically underutilized businesses . In the end, Civic Marketplace brings more competition to the procurement space by bringing visibility to more vendors.

More efficiency and competition in procurement leads to lower prices and higher-quality services. That means faster road repairs, cleaner parks, and upgraded schools—all while saving taxpayers money. 

"Through this collaboration, we are not merely adapting to change; we are leading it," Blackman said. "Our combined expertise and resources will unlock unprecedented opportunities for innovation and growth, setting a new standard of excellence in public sector procurement."

‍

Try Out a Simpler Way to Shop for Contracts Your Government’s Needs

It's time to modernize government procurement. Start shopping with Civic Marketplace today, to save money and time, and deliver better services to the community.

Book a Demo