MHEC and E&I Collaborate on Travel Management Services

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 11, 2012

MHEC and E&I Collaborate on Travel Management Services Solicitation

Organizations sign memorandum of understanding with the goal of soliciting a shared contract for comprehensive travel management services

Amherst, MA — The Massachusetts Higher Education Consortium (“MHEC”) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with E&I Cooperative Purchasing. The purpose of the MOU is twofold:  to achieve greater efficiency and synergy through collaboration between the two organizations, and to bring their respective memberships a strong contract for Comprehensive Travel Management Services.

The solicitation for Comprehensive Travel Management Services will include MHEC members in New England and E&I members on a national basis.  As part of the agreement, MHEC will take the lead on developing an IFB (“Invitation for Bids”) for Comprehensive Travel Management Services.  An E&I representative will participate on the Strategic Sourcing Team to ensure that the criteria important for E&I members is included.

The primary goal of this relationship is to award a contract for Travel Management Services that can be used by both MHEC and E&I members.

This is not the first time that MHEC and E&I have entered into an agreement. In 2005, the organizations signed a Memorandum of Understanding that resulted in two competitively awarded national contracts, for furnishings and energy.

About MHEC           

            The Massachusetts Higher Education Consortium (MHEC) is a nonprofit purchasing consortium established in 1977 by the Massachusetts Legislature. The MHEC emerged as the result of an early Five Colleges, Inc. buying group that included Amherst College, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, Hampshire College and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, to provide and manage contracts for goods and services using group buying best practices for its member institutions in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  Membership is growing and presently includes over 100 members consisting of private colleges and universities, municipalities, all Massachusetts public institutions of higher learning including 15 community colleges, nine state colleges, and the five campuses of the University system, not for profit preparatory and charter schools and not for profit educational organizations throughout the six New England States (Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island).

MHEC contracts are competitively bid, consistent with all Massachusetts public procurement requirements and MHEC professional staff have all received training or satisfied the requirements of the Massachusetts Certified Public Purchasing Official Program (MCPPO). For more information on MHEC, please go to: www.mhec.net

About E&I

Established in 1934 by members of The National Association of Educational Procurement (NAEP), Educational & Institutional Cooperative Purchasing (E&I) is a buying cooperative that serves colleges and universities. E&I uses the combined purchasing power of nearly 2,400 member institutions to lower costs on a wide range of products and services. The organization provides members with access to a diverse portfolio of high quality national and regional contracts from best-in-class suppliers. E&I's member-driven competitive solicitation process has been validated by the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing (NIGP). For more information, please go to: www.eandi.org