Mohave Educational Services Cooperative

What Mohave Educational Services Cooperative does

Mohave Educational Services Cooperative, Inc. (MESC) is an Arizona nonprofit public procurement cooperative founded in 1971 and headquartered in Kingman, Arizona. It administers a portfolio of more than 100 competitively awarded vendor contracts spanning Classroom, Construction, Facilities, Information Technologies, Library, Office, Transportation, and Food categories for use by Arizona public school districts, cities, counties, community colleges, universities, tribal governments, fire districts, and qualifying nonprofit organizations. The cooperative operates under Arizona Revised Statutes § 11-952, § 41-2632, and § 15-365, with procurement practices independently reviewed annually by a CPA firm using the Arizona Auditor General's Cooperative Procurement Compliance Questionnaire.

MESC is funded entirely through administrative fees paid by members and contract users; it receives no direct tax dollars. Members sign a Cooperative Purchasing Agreement (intergovernmental agreement) to access the contract portfolio, and standard purchase orders are routed through MESC for compliance review before forwarding to vendors. The cooperative also operates ASPIN (Arizona School Partners in Nutrition), a food service cooperative program established in 1995 with over 140 eligible member agencies, and manages dedicated contracts with Shamrock Foods, Shamrock Farms, Holsum Bakery, and Aikins Distribution. Vendor solicitation is conducted through the OpenGov Procurement platform, with electronic bid submission and public bid opening.

The organization does not develop proprietary software or technology products; its core capability is procurement intermediation — running transparent solicitations, awarding contracts, and administering compliance, due diligence documentation, and member onboarding and training. MESC became a nonprofit corporation in 2005 and has operated continuously since its 1971 founding as the Mohave County Career Education Project. Leadership is provided by Executive Director Lari Staples, CPPO.

Name

Mohave Educational Services Cooperative

Legal name

Mohave Educational Services Cooperative, Inc.

Website

https://mesc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mohave Educational Services Cooperative is an Arizona nonprofit founded in 1971 that administers 100+ competitively awarded vendor contracts for public schools, cities, counties, and higher education statewide, funded by member-paid administrative fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Procurement / Cooperative Purchasing Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional Education Service Agencies (ESAs/BOCES/Intermediate Units) (EDADABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Campus / Institutional Food Co-ops (University, Hospital, etc.) (CRAHALAI), Buying Clubs & Community Bulk Purchasing Co-ops (CRAHALAE)

Keywords

• Cooperative purchasing services
• Public procurement cooperative
• Government contract services
• Educational procurement contracts
• Food service procurement

Headquarters

HQ city

Kingman

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Administrative Fees: Mohave is funded entirely through administrative fees paid by member agencies and contract users. No direct tax dollars fund the cooperative. Administrative fees cover the cost of procurement solicitation, contract administration, member support, and compliance review services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Mohave Educational Services Cooperative is an Arizona nonprofit public procurement cooperative that conducts competitive solicitations, awards contracts, and makes those contracts available to public entities (school districts, cities, counties, community colleges, universities, and qualifying non-profits) that sign an intergovernmental Cooperative Purchasing Agreement. It administers a portfolio of contracts across Classroom, Construction, Facilities, Information Technologies, Library, Office, and Transportation categories, and also operates the ASPIN food service purchasing program serving over 140 eligible agencies.

Product overview

Mohave Educational Services Cooperative, Inc. (MESC) is a public procurement cooperative that does not offer a single unified product or platform. Rather, it administers a portfolio of competitively awarded contracts across distinct categories including Classroom, Construction, Facilities, Information Technologies, Library, Office, and Transportation. MESC also operates the ASPIN (Arizona School Partners in Nutrition) food contracts program. The cooperative acts as an intermediary, connecting public agencies (school districts, cities, counties, community colleges, universities, and nonprofits) with contracted vendors. The technology-related offerings under Information Technologies include various computer hardware, software, copier/printer, and AV equipment vendors (such as Apple, Amazon Business, CDW Government, Bluum USA, Follett Software, Brightly Software, and others) available through direct online ordering and standard contract arrangements. MESC does not manufacture or sell its own branded products; instead, it aggregates vendor contracts for use by member organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ASPIN: Arizona School Partners in Nutrition (ASPIN) provides food service cooperative programs for schools and public agencies, including contracts for food, bread/baked goods, and milk/dairy products.

Products and services

• Mohave Cooperative Purchasing Contracts A portfolio of competitively awarded contracts across Classroom, Construction, Facilities, Information Technologies, Library, Office, and Transportation categories, administered by Mohave for Arizona public school districts, cities, counties, community colleges, universities, state agencies, tribal governments, special assessment districts, fire districts, and qualifying non-profits.
• ASPIN Food Service Cooperative Purchasing Program Food service cooperative purchasing program offering competitively solicited contracts for food and supplies (Shamrock Foods Company), bread and baked goods (Holsum Bakery), and milk and dairy products (Shamrock Farms and Aikins Distribution) to over 140 eligible member agencies, with USDA compliance documentation, consolidated invoicing, and price audits.
• Mohave Direct Online Order Contracts A subset of Mohave cooperative contracts that allow members to place orders directly through vendor websites (Apple, Barnes & Noble, Bluum USA, CDW Government, Lakeshore Learning Materials, Amazon Business, Staples, GBS Books, and others) for categories including Computer Software/Peripherals, Classroom/Office Supplies, Library Books/Media, Textbooks/Supplemental Materials, Vehicle Parts, and Custodial Products.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 140 ASPIN member agencies benefiting from consolidated food service purchasing volume
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ASPIN (Arizona School Partners in Nutrition)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1995ASPIN was established in 1995 in response to a need for food service products. It operates as the foodservice cooperative program of Mohave Educational Services Cooperative, Inc. ASPIN staff manages three contracts: Shamrock Foods Company (food and supplies), Holsum Bakery (bread and baked goods), and Shamrock Farms (milk and dairy). Over 140 eligible agencies are members. ASPIN compiles collective purchasing volume, maintains price files, processes member payments, and assists with ordering and reconciliation.
• OpenGov ProcurementcoreTechnology or IntegrationMohave uses OpenGov Procurement as its official solicitation management and vendor registration platform. Vendors must register through OpenGov to receive email notifications of active solicitations. The platform handles electronic bid/proposal submission, public bid opening, and bidder name disclosure. Mohave's solicitations and related project documentation are located on this platform.
• Shamrock Foods CompanycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorShamrock Foods Company is the ASPIN contracted vendor for food and supplies (Contract 21O-SFC-0701). The contract is for ASPIN member use only. Shamrock provides and delivers food, fresh produce, and related cafeteria supplies to ASPIN members statewide.
• Holsum Bakery, Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHolsum Bakery provides delivered fresh bread and baked goods statewide under Contract 26D-BAKE-0701 (effective July 1, 2026). This contract is available for use by all ASPIN and Mohave members.
• Shamrock FarmscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorShamrock Farms provides statewide delivery of milk and related dairy products under Contract 26C-SHAM-0701 (effective July 1, 2026). Frozen products are sourced from Dairy Maid. This contract is available for use by all ASPIN and Mohave members.
• Aikins Distribution Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAikins Distribution Inc. provides statewide delivery of milk and related dairy products under Contract 26C-AIKI-0701 (effective July 1, 2026). This contract is available for all Mohave members.
• ADM Group, Inc. (Architect)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorADM Group, Inc. provides architect services for all seven Arizona geographic regions under Contract 26B-ADM-0508 (effective May 8, 2026). Services include architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, civil, food service engineering, and landscape architecture.
• Amazon.com Services, LLCminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAmazon Business provides a complete end-to-end procurement solution through Mohave's Direct Online Order contract (Contract 24I-AMZ-0411, effective April 11, 2030). Offers hundreds of millions of business-relevant products with Business Prime membership including free shipping and spend policy tools.
• Apple Inc.minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorApple provides its complete branded product line available at Apple's website for educational and government members through a Direct Online Order contract (Contract 25E-APPLE-1004, effective October 4, 2030). Leasing and financing options are available through separate agreements.
• CDW Government LLCminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCDW Government is an online retailer providing computer hardware, software, and peripherals through Mohave's Direct Online Order contract. Serves the technology product category for Mohave members.
• Staples Contract & Commercial, LLCminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStaples provides its full online catalog of office supplies, related products, customized products, printing services, and teacher/classroom supplies through Mohave contracts (Contracts 23A-SPLS-0616 and 24I-SPLO-0411). Offers in-store pickup at Arizona Staples locations and a rebate program based on annual spend.
• GBS Books / Gift of Words LLCminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGift of Words LLC dba GBS Books is a book retailer providing direct online ordering and local in-store purchases at their Phoenix location through Mohave's Library category contracts.
• Follett Content Solutions LLCminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFollett Content Solutions provides books, ebooks, audiobooks, and audiovisual materials through Mohave's Library category (Contracts 24P-FCS-0520 and 25M-FCS2-0313). Their inventory includes over 4.6 million titles.
• Follett Software LLCminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFollett Software LLC (formerly MasterLibrary.com LLC) provides Destiny Library Manager as a browser-based union catalog solution with 24/7 mobile access, cloud hosted or customer hosted options under Contract 24C-FOLL-1004. Also provides SaaS facility maintenance management software.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• BuyBoard: Texas-based cooperative purchasing organization serving public entities (schools, municipalities, counties) with competitively awarded contracts. Most directly comparable peer to Mohave given the same cooperative purchasing model, public-sector focus, and intergovernmental agreement structure.
• The Cooperative Purchasing Network (TCPN): Texas-based cooperative purchasing network that provides contracts to schools, government agencies, and non-profits. Directly comparable to Mohave's model of providing competitively awarded contracts to public agencies through intergovernmental agreements.
• NASPO ValuePoint: National cooperative procurement arm of the National Association of State Procurement Officials. Provides multi-state cooperative contracts similar to Mohave's portfolio, with comparable target market of public entities.
• E&I Cooperative Services: Member-owned cooperative serving educational institutions with procurement contracts. Comparable to Mohave given its exclusive focus on the education vertical and its cooperative purchasing model.
• Sourcewell: Minnesota-based cooperative that provides competitively solicited contracts for government, education, and non-profit agencies nationally. Operates a similar cooperative purchasing model and member-driven structure as Mohave Educational Services Cooperative.
• NCPA (National Cooperative Purchasing Alliance): National cooperative purchasing alliance procuring products and services for public agencies. Comparable to Mohave in market focus and cooperative structure, but with national rather than state-specific scope.
• OMNIA Partners (formerly National IPA / U.S. Communities): Large national cooperative purchasing organization serving public agencies across multiple states with competitively solicited contracts. Directly comparable to Mohave in operating model and target market, with much greater scale and geographic reach.

Regional players

• PEPPM (Pennsylvania Educational Purchasing Program for Microcomputers): Regional cooperative purchasing program serving Pennsylvania schools and agencies. Comparable cooperative model to Mohave but limited to a single state other than Arizona, making it a regionally focused peer.

Emerging players

• Public Purchase (by Periscope Holdings): Online marketplace connecting public agencies with vendors for cooperative procurement bids. Functions as a technology-enabled procurement intermediary with similar solicitation management functionality to Mohave's OpenGov partnership.

Broad incumbents

• 1Government Marketplace (GSA): U.S. General Services Administration's government-wide procurement platform that offers contracts to federal, state, and local agencies. A broader incumbent that competes with Mohave by providing alternative procurement pathways for public entities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mohave-educational-services

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mohave Educational Services Cooperative