A Guide for Public Agencies Using Local Government Cooperative (LGC) Contracts
The Local Government Cooperative (LGC), administered by the Idaho Association of Highway Districts (IAHD), provides competitively solicited contracts that public agencies may evaluate for cooperative purchasing and contract piggybacking.
An agency considering an LGC contract should review the contract, procurement documentation, applicable state and local procurement authority, and the agency's own purchasing requirements before placing an order.
The contract piggybacking basic process is:
- Find an LGC contract that meets your agency's needs.
- Confirm that your agency is an eligible public entity.
- Review the contract and procurement documentation.
- Verify that your state and local procurement rules permit the proposed use.
- Complete any required cooperative purchasing or interlocal agreement.
- Obtain the approvals required by your agency.
- Purchase directly from the awarded vendor under the applicable contract.
1. Find an LGC Contract
Begin with the LGC Contract Catalog.
You can search the catalog by vendor, product, service, or purchasing category to identify contracts that may meet your agency's requirements.
Each vendor/contract listing should be reviewed to determine:
- The products or services covered by the contract
- The contract number (LGC contract numbers are arranged as MA+RFP#+Vendor Name, eg MA-26-002-Accubrine)
- The lead public agency
- The solicitation or RFP number
- The contract term
- Current contract status
- Applicable pricing
- Geographic or service limitations
- Any contract-specific purchasing requirements
2. Confirm Your Agency's Eligibility
LGC contracts are structured for cooperative purchasing by eligible public agencies nationwide. The authority and requirements for using an LGC contract vary by state, agency type, purchase type, and contract. Agencies should verify applicable state and local requirements before purchasing.
Potential participating agencies may include:
- Cities and towns
- Counties
- Highway districts
- Road and transportation agencies
- Special districts
- Airport and port authorities
- Public authorities
- State agencies, typically subject to additional conditions and approval by a central authority such the DOP
- All other governmental entities authorized to participate in cooperative purchasing
Eligibility can vary according to state law, local procurement rules, the type of public agency, and the particular contract.
If you are unsure whether your agency is eligible, review the LGC State Codes and Procurement Authority information and consult your agency's procurement officer, legal counsel, or other appropriate authority.
3. Review the Procurement Record
Before using an LGC contract, an agency should review the procurement documentation associated with the contract.
Depending on the contract, LGC's audit trail typically includes:
- Original solicitation or RFP
- Lead public agency information
- Public notices of solicitation
- Addenda
- Questions and answers
- Bid or proposal opening documentation
- Evaluation criteria (found in the RFP document)
- Evaluation or scoring documentation
- Notice of award
- Executed master agreement
- Amendments and renewals
- Current pricing or price schedules
- Cooperative purchasing or piggyback provisions (found in the RFP and contract docs)
LGC provides public access to applicable procurement and contract documentation so agencies can conduct their own due diligence before using an LGC contract.
4. Verify Your State and Local Procurement Requirements
Before purchasing, the agency should verify whether its applicable authority permits it to use an out-of-jurisdiction or cooperative contract and whether additional requirements apply.
Depending on the jurisdiction and agency, requirements may include:
- Cooperative purchasing authority
- An interlocal or cooperative purchasing agreement
- Governing-board approval
- A determination that the original solicitation satisfies applicable competitive-procurement requirements
- Required public notice
- Purchasing thresholds or approval requirements
- Documentation of contract pricing or price reasonableness
- Additional local procurement procedures
For relevant state-specific information, see: LGC State Codes & Procurement Authority →
State information provided by LGC is intended as a research resource. Agencies should verify current requirements with the applicable state authority and their own procurement or legal personnel.
5. Complete Any Required Agreement
Some agencies or jurisdictions may require a separate agreement before purchasing through a cooperative contract.
Where applicable, the agency should complete the required cooperative purchasing, interlocal, or other agreement before placing an order. VIEW/DOWNLOAD: LGC's Interlocal Cooperation Agreement PDF
The agency should retain the executed agreement with its procurement records.
6. Obtain Your Agency's Required Approval
Using an LGC contract does not necessarily eliminate the agency's normal approval process.
Depending on the agency and purchase, this may include:
- Department approval
- Purchasing approval
- Finance approval
- Governing-board or council approval
- Budget authorization
- Legal review
- Required procurement documentation (audit trail)
Follow you agency's purchasing policies and applicable local and state law.
It is good procurement practice to include "approval of LGC cooperative piggybacking for the purchase of XYZ" or a similar statement in all public meeting minutes and board packets where piggybacking an LGC contract is considered.
7. Purchase From the Awarded Vendor
Once the agency has determined that the contract may be used and completed any required approvals or agreements, the agency may contact the awarded Vendor directly regarding the purchase. LGC does not require a membership, a login setup, or any fees from participating agencies.
The agency should reference the applicable LGC contract when requesting pricing, preparing a purchase order, or otherwise placing an order.
The vendor's contact information and applicable contract documents are available through the LGC Contract Catalog.
What Documentation Should an Agency Keep?
An agency using an LGC contract should maintain documentation sufficient to demonstrate the basis for its purchase under its applicable laws and internal policies.
Depending on the jurisdiction and purchase, the procurement file may include:
- LGC contract identification
- Original solicitation/RFP
- Procurement and award documentation
- Executed master agreement
- Current pricing
- Applicable cooperative-purchasing or piggyback provision
- Interlocal or cooperative purchasing agreement, if required
- Agency approval documentation
- Purchase order
- Vendor quotation
- Invoice
- Any required governing-body action
Agencies should follow their own records-retention and procurement requirements.
Questions About Using an LGC Contract?
For questions about a particular contract, begin by reviewing the contract and procurement documentation available through the LGC Contract Catalog.
For questions about your agency's legal authority or procurement requirements, consult your agency's procurement officer, purchasing department, legal counsel, or the appropriate state/local authority.
Send email inquiries to the LGC at admin@lgcprocurement.org
LGC provides cooperative purchasing contracts and procurement documentation; each participating agency remains responsible for determining whether and how it may use a particular contract.
Related LGC Resources
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Yes. LGC contracts originate via a formal, competitive sealed RFP process that utilizes two public notices and formal evaluation committee reviews, fulfilling the strictest nationwide transparency benchmarks. Additionally, LGC contracts originate with a lead public agency, and are administered by the the LGC Program. LGC RFP's and agreements contain piggybacking clauses, and participants may request custom addenda to satisfy local requirements.
Yes. LGC's RFPs and Vendor master agreements contain language allowing participating public agencies to request custom, additional compliance addenda to satisfy their local requirements. Participants request custom addenda directly from awarded Vendors; addenda are subject to Vendor agreement and execution. The intent is to allow participants flexibility to request additional affidavits, clauses or disclosures which may be required by their state or local agency requisite for contract piggybacking.
Yes. The Local Government Cooperative (LGC) is structured for nationwide use. Public agencies in any U.S. state can piggyback on LGC competitively bid contracts. Most states allow interstate cooperative purchasing or joint powers agreements. No formal LGC membership is required. Visit our Nationwide Eligibility and Interstate Reciprocity Page
To be 100% sure, we always suggest consulting your state codes, your agency's internal guidelines, and your agency's attorney. For an excellent starting point, LGC has a State-by-State Cooperative Purchasing & Piggyback Authority Research Reference Tool, which guides you to your state's primary related code, research links, and our own notes (which are not legal advice). https://iahd.com/lgc-state-codes/
No. There is no membership requirement and no fee to piggyback LGC contracts. Agencies simply work directly with the awarded Vendors and ask them to apply the LGC contract pricing. Your state or agency may require an interlocal agreement with the LGC. Download LGC's Interlocal Agreement
Yes. All LGC contracts are formally advertised, competitively sealed-bid, and publicly awarded in compliance with Idaho Code § 67-2806. This formal bidding requirement lends compliance with all spending thresholds. Additionally, every RFP includes explicit piggybacking language so all public agencies nationwide can benefit from the awarded contracts.
You can download LGC's Interlocal Agreement PDF directly from the website. Vendor price sheets and master agreements are available on each Vendor’s page. Additional bidding documents are available by emailing admin@lgcprocurement.org. All bidding documents, proposal scoring, public notices, agreements, addenda and award letters are on file.
We designed this to be as simple as possible. Choose an awarded vendor from the LGC catalog, contact them directly, and ask them to apply the LGC contract. That’s it. No further bidding is required and there is no membership application.
The other "task" is to gain your agency's internal approval to piggyback, and if required by your agency, execute the LGC Interlocal Agreement. An interlocal agreement is essentially a memorandum of understanding that you have LGC's permission to piggyback, and you are responsible to assess compliance with your own agency's rules and regulations.
The LGC is focused on the needs of local public agencies that maintain our transportation infrastructure, public works, parks, waterways and bridges, and related public spaces. While the Vendor catalog is still growing as we complete additional RFP solicitations, you will find things such as: Plows and blades, brine systems, road paint and lane markers, signage, traffic control devices and construction zone safety items, cattle guards, pipe & culvert, herbicides, equipment upfitting, precast concrete, and more. We will keep adding Vendors and categories, so please bookmark the LGC and keep checking back.
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