How to Buy AV Equipment Through a Statewide Contract or Cooperative Purchasing Agreement

Your town, school, or agency can buy AV equipment and services without running its own bid. Here is how it works, and what changed this month.

Massachusetts' statewide contract for AV equipment changed this week. OFF50 expired October 31, 2026, with no option to renew. ITE002 takes its place, effective November 1, 2026.

What Is a Statewide or Cooperative Purchasing Contract?

A statewide contract is an agreement a state government negotiates and awards to a vendor after its own competitive bid process. Once it is in place, any eligible agency in that state can buy against it directly. No second bid required.

A cooperative purchasing contract works the same way, except the agency that ran the original bid can be a state, a university system, or a purchasing consortium, and the agencies that use it can span several states. MHEC is a cooperative contract. ITE002 is a statewide contract specific to Massachusetts. Both exist for the same reason: public buyers do the vetting once, and everyone downstream gets to skip it.

How Does Buying Through a State Contract Work, Step by Step?

1. Confirm your agency is an eligible user of the contract. Statewide contracts usually cover state agencies, municipalities, school districts, and libraries, but eligibility varies by contract. Your procurement office can confirm.
2. Identify which contract covers your purchase. For AV equipment and services in Massachusetts, that is now ITE002. In New England more broadly, it is often MHEC. In Rhode Island, it is MPA 416.
3. Request a quote from a vendor awarded on that contract. Pricing and terms are already negotiated, so the quote reflects the contract rate.
4. Reference the contract number on your purchase order.
5. Route the PO through your agency's normal approval chain. No separate RFP, no separate bid evaluation.
   
   

Which Contracts Is DGI On?

• MHEC. New England's group purchasing consortium for higher education, municipalities, K-12 schools, and libraries.

• ITE002 (formerly OFF50). The Commonwealth of Massachusetts's contract for audio, video, multimedia, and display equipment and services. OFF50 ran through October 31, 2026. ITE002 took over as of November 1, 2026, covering the same scope.

• Rhode Island MPA 416. A Rhode Island Master Price Agreement, used by state agencies and available to municipalities and school districts

Massachusetts purchases against ITE002 are documented through COMMBUYS, the Commonwealth's procurement system. If your agency already uses COMMBUYS for other purchases, buying AV through the contract fits the same process.

What Can You Buy Through These Contracts?

Common purchases include:

• LED video walls and large-format displays
• Video conferencing and Microsoft Teams or Zoom rooms
• Classroom technology: interactive displays, projection, and voice lift
• AV over IP (AVoIP) distribution and signal switching
• Audio, sound reinforcement, and paging
• Control systems and room automation
• Support and maintenance plans

Design, equipment, and installation for council chambers, municipal meeting rooms, courtrooms, emergency operations centers, classrooms, and training rooms, from concept to completion. The contract changes how you procure it, not what you get.

What Should You Have Ready Before You Call?

• Which contract your agency is eligible to use (your procurement office will know, or we can help you confirm it)
• A rough scope: the room and what it needs to do. If you are not sure,we can help, since design and consulting services can be included in this contract.
  
• A budget range, if you have one
• A timeline, especially if it is tied to a budget cycle or a building project

If you know which contract applies to your agency, let us know and we will take it from there. If you are not sure, tell us