As a purchasing consortium, MHEC provides their members a catalog of over 50 contracts, each of which includes a selection of vetted suppliers offering essential products and services at a discounted rate. Because our suppliers are vetted through a public, fair, open, and competitive bidding process, they can be hired directly, without any further bidding.
Membership to approved not-for-profit educational organizations and municipalities is free; we earn a small percentage of each purchase from the supplier.
Members can make purchases in two ways, described below:
A. direct from the supplier
MHEC contracts include a main contact person for each of its suppliers. With a user login, staff from member organizations have a number of tools to review the suppliers on contract and connect with them. The entire text of each contract is available as a PDF, or you can use our online search tool to find details on all contracts and suppliers. Alternately, we have contract landing pages that allow you to browse the contracts through a menu of products and services.
Once you’ve found what you’re looking for, reach out directly to each supplier, let them know you’re an MHEC member, and they’ll be happy to answer questions, provide more information, and place orders.
Finding and buying has never been easier.
B. i-buy marketplace™
MHEC’s i-buy marketplace™ enables members to browse and purchase products online. (This web tool is available via a button beneath our logo at the top of each MHEC webpage.)
With i-buy marketplace™, members can search by category, product, brand, and supplier (including diverse). The tool’s request for quote (RFQ) feature allows buyers to send a single quote request to multiple suppliers in just a few clicks—accomplishing in minutes what would otherwise take days. Shopping carts can include products from different suppliers, items can be compared, and selections can be transferred to an approving authority. Purchases can be completed with purchase orders (POs), credit cards, and p-cards.
Keeping Up-to-Date
To ensure our contract offerings stay current and competitive, we are regularly reviewing them and updating the suppliers included and the products and services they offer. Every month, we issue contract addendum, new products, and spotlighted services in 1st Monday Member Digest.
Bid-free?
MHEC writes and maintains our own contracts. Each is created through a public, fair, open, and competitive bidding process that complies with the statutes of the Massachusetts procurement laws. Our strategic sourcing managers follow a rigorous process that serves as a baseline that works within all six New England states. This enables all of our members to confidently purchase from MHEC vetted suppliers with our ready-to-use contracts, avoiding an often time-consuming bidding process.
Many of our longtime members in all states depend on this feature of our contracts for projects that require a fast turnaround. Often, though, our contracts include several suppliers that offer competing services; we strongly encourage our members to research all their purchasing decisions and look for the offer that best fits their needs.