How to Navigate the Co-op

  • There is no fee to join and members are lifetime members with no need to renew this membership. The Commission's State of New Jersey approved Co-op number is 65MCESCCPS.  Please see our "Members' Section" link for information on becoming a member and begin saving time and money. All ESCNJ co-op member applications are approved by the New Jersey State Department of Community Affairs.  For perspective vendors, please see our Vendor's Link to review current bidding opportunities.
  • Vendors' Section
  • Members' Section

About Our Cooperative Pricing System

  • The Educational Services Commission of New Jersey Cooperative System (ESCNJ) has been in existence since 1977, and has grown to become the largest cooperative pricing system in New Jersey. With over 1,500 members, participants include school districts, colleges, universities, municipalities, county governments, housing authorities, libraries, fire districts and more. Our goal is to save taxpayers money by seeking out great prices for our members.

    We develop bid specifications according to the requests our members pass on to us, thus saving our members time and money by providing this service for them; time and money they would have had to spend in developing bid specifications, advertising and research. We advertise in several different newspapers throughout the state of New Jersey and on our website in hopes to attract as many responsible bidders as possible.

    The ESCNJ Co-op conducts Vendor Fairs periodically in order to provide our members and vendors an avenue in which to become familiar with one another.  Our last Vendor Fair had over 100 vendors in attendance and continues to grow each year. We also offer a wide array of New Jersey State approved continual education credits for QPA's, CMFO/CCFO's, CTC's, CPWN's and RMC's.

    The ESCNJ is also a member of the Association of Educational Purchasing Agencies. The AEPA is a national purchasing association that includes 29 states which brings additional buying power to our co-op members. Only one entity per state may be a member of the AEPA and the ESCNJ is that entity.

    How does the AEPA differ from other national associations? The AEPA differs from other national associations in that the bids are advertised locally by each individual state member, reviewed by an AEPA bid committee and recommended for award to all states. Each state reviews the bid award recommendations and decides if the bids and vendors are compliant with their individual state laws. If the awards/vendors are compliant and have been proven to provide savings to our co-op members, the ESCNJ passes a Board resolution to add these AEPA bids as an offering to our members. Nationally bid and locally awarded!