(a) Any municipality, county, utility district, or other local government of the state may participate in, sponsor, conduct or administer a cooperative purchasing agreement for the procurement of any supplies, services or construction with one (1) or more other local governments in accordance with an agreement entered into between the participants. Such cooperative purchasing may include, but is not limited to, joint or multi-party contracts between local governments. Where the participants in a joint or multi-party contract are required to advertise and receive bids, it shall be sufficient for those purposes that the purchasing entity comply only with its own purchasing requirements.
Goods: means all personal property, including, but not limited to, supplies, equipment, materials, printing, and insurance. See Tennessee Code 12-3-201
Procurement: means buying, purchasing, renting, leasing, or otherwise acquiring of any goods or services. See Tennessee Code 12-3-201
Services: means all services and agreements obligating the state, except services for highway and road improvements governed by title 54 and design and construction services governed by title 4, chapter 15. See Tennessee Code 12-3-201
State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
United States: includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(b)(1) Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, any municipality, county, utility district, or other local government of the state may participate in, sponsor, conduct, or administer a cooperative purchasing agreement for the procurement of any goods, supplies, services, or equipment with one (1) or more other governmental entities outside this state, to the extent the laws of the other state permit the joint exercise of purchasing authority, or with an agency of the United States, to the extent federal law permits the joint exercise of purchasing authority, in accordance with an agreement entered into between or among the participants; provided, such goods, supplies, services, or equipment were procured in a manner that constitutes competitive bidding and were advertised, evaluated, and awarded by a governmental entity and made available for use by other governmental entities.(2) A municipality, county, utility district, or other local government of the state may participate in a master agreement by adopting a resolution accepting the terms of the master agreement. If a participant in a joint or multi-party agreement is required to advertise and receive bids, then it will be deemed sufficient for those purposes that the purchasing entity or the entity that procured the bid complied with its own purchasing requirements. The participant shall acquire and maintain documentation that the purchasing entity or entities that procured the bid complied with its own purchasing requirements.(3) The powers conferred by this section are in addition and supplemental to the powers conferred by any other law, and any limitations imposed by this section shall not affect powers conferred by any other law.(4) This subsection (b) does not apply to:
(A) Purchases of new or unused motor vehicles, unless the motor vehicles are manufactured for a special purpose as defined in § 12-3-1208. As used in this subdivision (b)(4)(A), “motor vehicle” does not include a farm tractor, mower, earth-moving machinery, construction machinery, or other similar machinery or equipment;(B) Purchases of construction, engineering, or architectural services, or construction materials. As used in this subdivision (b)(4)(B), “construction materials” does not include materials used in the operation of a municipal utility system, including, but not limited to, transformers, conductors, insulators, poles, cross-arms, anchors, pipes, valves, meters, or other components or parts of a utility system, whether purchased in accordance with a purchasing agreement with the Tennessee Valley authority or another purchasing arrangement; or(C) Purchases of fuel, fuel products, and lubricating oils.(5) The authorization for exercising joint purchasing authority with an agency of the United States under subdivision (b)(1) does not include the authority to purchase construction machinery, including, but not limited to, bulldozers and other heavy equipment utilized in construction or on construction sites.(c) The chief procurement officer may collect information from municipalities, counties, utility districts, or any other local government unit concerning the type, cost, quality, and quantity of commonly used goods, supplies, services, or equipment being procured under cooperative purchasing agreements. The chief procurement officer may make available all such information to any municipality, county, utility district, or other local government unit upon request.
