Southwestern Ohio Educational Purchasing Council

What Southwestern Ohio Educational Purchasing Council does

The Southwestern Ohio Educational Purchasing Council (EPC) is a council of governments and non-profit cooperative purchasing organization founded in 1968 and headquartered in Vandalia, Ohio. EPC aggregates the purchasing power of 339 member school districts and boards of developmental disabilities across 58 Ohio counties and 2 Kentucky counties, pooling demand for goods and services including health and benefits administration, liability/fleet/property and workers compensation insurance, utilities, classroom and office supplies, furniture, school buses, food service products, medical supplies, AEDs, and facility improvement services. The EPC Benefit Plan, launched in 1983, operates self-funded medical, dental, vision, and life insurance programs covering over 20,000 employees (and 48,000 total members across benefit plans) through carrier partnerships with Anthem, UnitedHealthcare, Delta Dental, VSP, CVS/Caremark, and Unum.

EPC does not manufacture products or operate a proprietary technology platform. Its core technology is the cooperative bidding and aggregation process itself: staff and volunteer district committees develop product specifications, solicit competitive bids, and select vendors that member districts can then purchase from at negotiated pricing. The organization runs no disclosed AI, no proprietary software product, and no data flywheel — vendor-hosted platforms (Anthem, UHC, Benelogic) administer the benefits side, while the cooperative bidding workflow is the operational backbone for purchasing programs. EPC also maintains affiliate membership with the Association of Educational Purchasing Agencies (AEPA), extending access to 30+ additional discounted product categories nationally.

EPC's business model is non-profit and member-funded. Membership has been free of charge since the 2016-2017 school year, so revenue derives from interest earnings on reserves, special program fees for specific services, and vendor participation fees for access to EPC's aggregated customer base. Administrative cost efficiency is a key value driver: EPC's combined $375 million purchasing power for insurance benefits drives administrative costs to 7% versus 12-14% for non-member districts, with savings passed through to members. The organization is governed by an Executive Board elected by member districts and operates with a small staff (1-10 employees per the firmographic data) supplemented by food service consultants.

Name

Southwestern Ohio Educational Purchasing Council

Legal name

Southwestern Ohio Educational Purchasing Council

Website

https://epcschools.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Southwestern Ohio Educational Purchasing Council is a non-profit council of governments, founded in 1968, that aggregates purchasing power across 339 Ohio and Kentucky school districts for cooperative bidding on supplies, insurance, utilities, food service, and self-funded benefit plans covering 20,000+ employees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Vandalia

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. Membership Fees: EPC membership fees were waived starting with the 2016-2017 school year. There is zero cost to join the EPC, making revenue from membership fees currently eliminated.
2. Interest Earnings: EPC generates revenue through interest earnings on reserves.
3. Special Program Fees: EPC derives revenue from some special program fees for specific services offered to member districts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

EPC is a council of governments that aggregates the purchasing power of more than 339 Ohio and Kentucky member school districts, soliciting competitive bids and negotiating volume pricing on their behalf. It offers cooperative purchasing programs across health and benefits (medical, dental, vision, life, EAP, pharmacy), insurance (liability, fleet, property, workers compensation), utilities, food service, classroom and office supplies, furniture, school buses, transportation supplies, library books, AEDs, LED lighting/energy savings, and design-build services. Membership is free and vendors access EPC's aggregated customer base through competitive bidding and the annual Vendor Fair.

Product overview

The Southwestern Ohio Educational Purchasing Council (EPC) operates as a council of governments that aggregates purchasing power for over 339 member school districts across Ohio and Kentucky. Rather than a single unified technology product, EPC functions as a cooperative purchasing organization offering multiple program categories: health and benefits administration (medical, dental, vision, life insurance through carriers like Anthem, UHC, CVS/Caremark, Delta Dental, VSP), insurance programs (liability, fleet, property, workers compensation), operational supplies (classroom supplies, furniture, medical supplies, custodial/chemicals, paper, paints), equipment (school buses, vehicles, AEDs), food service products, utilities (electricity and natural gas), facility improvements (design-build, LED lighting, energy savings), and technology programs through AEPA membership. The organization does not manufacture products but rather aggregates volume purchasing power and manages competitive bidding processes on behalf of member districts. EPC has been operating since 1968 and currently manages over $375 million in combined purchasing power.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 7% administrative costs for insurance benefits vs 12-14% for non-member districts
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Association of Educational Purchasing Agencies (AEPA)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEPC has affiliate membership with AEPA that brings additional areas of discounted pricing including athletic equipment, audio visual integration, copiers, custodial equipment, cyber security, flooring, furniture, LED lighting, office supplies, playground equipment, roofing, technology catalog, and vehicles. Pricing period March 1, 2026 through February 28, 2027.
• Hunter ConsultingcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEPC sponsors a BWC Group Rating Pool for Workers Compensation through Hunter Consulting. Public school districts eligible to join the Pool if credit rated. Districts with penalty ratings can access group fee for administrator services. Hunter Consulting provides safety training seminars and program development support.
• Ohio Council of Educational Purchasing ConsortiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEPC participates in the Ohio Council of Educational Purchasing Consortia. Affiliate membership in EPC is open to entities outside Southwestern Ohio provided such program is not offered by the consortium in which they are a member and provided their consortium is a member of the Ohio Council.
• AnthemcoreTechnology or IntegrationEPC offers Anthem Blue Access PPO through the Benefits Program. Anthem provides health insurance administration, online enrollment systems, member ID cards through anthem.com and Sydney App, provider networks, and machine-readable files for transparency compliance.
• United HealthcarecoreTechnology or IntegrationEPC offers United HealthCare Choice Plus through the Benefits Program. UHC provides health insurance administration, member portal at myuhc.com, mobile app, and machine-readable files for transparency compliance.
• Delta DentalcoreTechnology or IntegrationEPC offers Delta Dental PPO and Delta Dental Premier Plan. Delta Dental provides dental insurance administration, online eligibility verification, member portal, mobile app, and provider network access.
• VSP VisioncoreTechnology or IntegrationEPC offers Vision Service Plan (VSP) for vision insurance. VSP provides provider network verification, website and mobile app access, and various lens enhancement and hearing aid discount programs.
• CVS/CaremarkcoreTechnology or IntegrationEPC offers CVS/Caremark for pharmacy benefits. Caremark provides prescription drug administration, online pharmacy lookup, digital ID cards through mobile app, and enhanced preventive drug coverage.
• The Christ Hospital Joint & Spine CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEPC offers Center of Excellence (COE) program for knee and hip replacements, shoulder and spine procedures at The Christ Hospital. Members meeting eligibility requirements have procedures 100% covered including facility, surgeon, and ancillary costs. Members traveling more than 90 miles eligible for hotel stay paid by The Christ Hospital.
• Anthem EAPsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerEPC provides Employee Assistance Program through Anthem offering 3 counseling visits, legal consultation, financial consultation, child and elder care resources, and life skills education at no cost to members.
• UnumsupportingTechnology or IntegrationEPC offers life insurance program through Unum as part of the benefits package.
• CDW-GsupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRecommended AEPA Vendor for Technology Products through EPC's Audio Visual/Technology program. Provides technology products and solutions to member districts.
• AEDVenturesupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVendor for Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) through EPC. Contact Doug Huffman at 330-903-0880 or [email protected]. Pricing period April 1, 2026 – March 31, 2027.
• Energy Optimizers USAsupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVendor for LED Lighting and Energy Savings Programs. Provides no-cost energy audits, LED bulb pricing, facility improvement projects including LED lighting, solar, doors/windows/roofing, and HVAC upgrades.
• CintassupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVendor for Facility Products and Solutions including uniform rental, facility services, first aid and safety supplies, and feminine hygiene products.
• InterfacesupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVendor for Carpet Tiles providing 2026-27 pricing for carpet tile products and luxury vinyl tile options.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• E&I Cooperative Services: National nonprofit cooperative purchasing organization serving education and other public-sector institutions. Highly comparable to EPC as it aggregates member purchasing power across supplies, equipment, and services using a similar cooperative/contract model.
• National Cooperative Purchasing Partners (NCPP): National cooperative purchasing program that aggregates public-entity and education-member purchasing power through competitively solicited contracts. Comparable to EPC's model of distributing vendor-awarded contract pricing to education members.
• TIPS (The Interlocal Purchasing System): Cooperative purchasing organization serving public and private schools, government agencies, and nonprofits with competitively solicited contracts. Closely comparable to EPC in cooperative model and target member base.
• BuyBoard: Texas-based cooperative purchasing platform operated by the Texas Association of School Boards that competitively bids goods and services for member school districts. Closely mirrors EPC's structure, mission, and member-funded co-op model, but serves Texas rather than Ohio.
• Association of Educational Purchasing Agencies (AEPA): National collaborative of state-level educational purchasing cooperatives of which EPC is itself an affiliate member. AEPA is the umbrella aggregation of EPC's peers across multiple states, providing cross-state purchasing contracts that EPC leverages.

Broad incumbents

• OMNIA Partners: Large-scale national cooperative purchasing organization formed by the merger of U.S. Communities and National IPA. Directly comparable to EPC's aggregation model for public-sector and education procurement, though at a dramatically larger scale and broader category footprint.
• Sourcewell: State-level cooperative purchasing government agency that competitively solicits and awards contracts on behalf of government, education, and nonprofit members nationwide. Comparable to EPC's cooperative bidding model but operates at a much larger national scale.

Regional players

• Ohio Council of Educational Purchasing Consortia: Umbrella council of which EPC is a member; consists of multiple Ohio school purchasing consortia offering similar cooperative services to in-region districts. Direct regional peer set to EPC within Ohio.
• Houston-Galveston Area Council (HGACBuy): Council-of-governments purchasing cooperative serving local governments, schools, and nonprofits across Texas. Operates the same council-of-governments model as EPC for cooperative procurement, but is geographically concentrated in Texas.

Emerging players

• Public Sector Procurement Cooperative: Cooperative purchasing organization targeting K-12 districts and public-sector entities with aggregated contracts. Smaller and newer than EPC but uses the same cooperative/aggregated-purchasing model for school district members.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SouthwesternOhioEPC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southwestern-ohio-educational-purchasing-council

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

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 Southwestern Ohio Educational Purchasing Council