Public Safety Association

What Public Safety Association does

Public Safety Association Inc. (PSAI), founded in 2007 and headquartered at a mailing address in Saint Cloud, Minnesota, is a non-profit cooperative that supports more than 16,000 public safety agencies across the United States. Its stated customer base spans Government entities (cities, counties, states, tribes, school districts, state and federal agencies), EMS providers (BLS, ALS, transport, training schools, community paramedicine), Fire services (volunteer and paid departments, rescue squads, wildland), Law Enforcement (police, sheriff, highway patrol, transit and university police), and Private Sector public safety organizations (hospitals, clinics, security firms). PSAI's core offering is cooperative purchasing: it runs public Requests for Bids (RFBs) on behalf of its membership, consolidating individually prepared solicitations into a single nationally shared procurement process, and distributes the resulting contracts at no cost through its channel partner, Savvik Buying Group.

PSAI's product set comprises four service lines: (1) Bidding Opportunities (RFB administration) covering Electronics, IT Solutions, Consulting Services, and Ambulance and Transport Vehicles, with bids issued under the legal entity of Eagle County Paramedic Services; (2) Product and Service Discounts through cooperative contracts made free to Savvik members; (3) Grant Searches and Grant Writing, connecting agencies with independent grant writers; and (4) Best Practice Forums delivered via industry trade events and webinars. The core "technology" layer is the formal public-bid process itself (sealed submissions, cash deposits, 30-day withdrawal windows, public bid opening), with no proprietary software platform, app, API, SDK, or disclosed technology stack. Marketing and distribution run through trade-event speaking, webinars, and the Savvik referral partnership.

PSAI's business model is a non-profit cooperative. Core services are free to member agencies, and the organization generates value (and implicitly revenue) by consolidating purchasing volume and easing the administrative burden of public procurement. No pricing tiers, dues schedule, revenue figure, or funding round is disclosed. The go-to-market motion is channel-partner-led, with Savvik Buying Group as the primary distribution partner and trade-event/webinar outreach as the educational motion. Legal domicile is Minnesota, USA, and the organization is actively operating with no parent company, subsidiaries, or institutional ownership disclosed.

Name

Public Safety Association

Legal name

Public Safety Association Inc.

Website

https://publicsafetyassociation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Public Safety Association Inc. (PSAI) is a Minnesota-based non-profit cooperative that runs publicly bid Requests for Bids and cooperative purchasing contracts on behalf of more than 16,000 U.S. public safety agencies spanning EMS, Fire, Police, and Government. Its services include cooperative purchasing, grant search and writing support, and industry best-practice forums.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Safety Procurement Services

NAICS

Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (922), Police Protection (922120), Fire Protection (92216)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Safety Administration (Fire/EMS, Emergency Management) (BPAIACAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

State/Provincial Public Safety & Emergency Management (Police, Fire, EMS Oversight) (BPAIABAG)

Keywords

• Public safety procurement
• Cooperative purchasing
• Government grant services
• Emergency services bidding
• Public safety cooperative

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint Cloud

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Cooperative Purchasing Services: PSAI operates as a non-profit cooperative that facilitates public bidding and purchasing for public safety agencies. While membership and access to cooperative purchasing programs appear to be free for eligible agencies, the organization generates value through cost reduction for the industry as a whole by consolidating individually prepared solicitations into one national, cooperatively shared process.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Public Safety Association Inc. (PSAI) is a non-profit cooperative that provides procurement support, grant search and writing assistance, best-practice forums, and public bidding opportunities to public safety agencies across the United States. It operates a free-to-members model in partnership with the Savvik Buying Group, serving more than 16,000 EMS, fire, and law enforcement agencies.

Product overview

Public Safety Association Inc. (PSAI) is a non-profit cooperative serving over 16,000 public safety agencies in the United States. The organization provides a suite of services including Grant Searches and Grant Writing to help agencies secure funding, Product and Service Discounts through cooperative purchasing programs with Savvik Buying Group, Best Practice Forums for industry education via trade events and webinars, and Bidding Opportunities (RFB Services) that facilitate public procurement processes for electronics, IT solutions, ambulance and transport vehicles. These services are designed to reduce costs, improve quality and efficiency, and promote the public safety profession.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cooperative Purchasing Program Free cooperative purchasing program for PSAI member agencies that leverages aggregated buying power, in partnership with Savvik Buying Group, to source equipment and supplies for EMS, fire, and police departments.
• Grant Search and Writing Service Search and writing assistance for public safety grant funding, supporting member agencies in identifying applicable federal, state, and local grants and preparing submissions.
• Best Practice Forums Peer forums where public safety professionals share operational best practices, lessons learned, and policy guidance across EMS, fire, and law enforcement disciplines.
• Public Bidding Opportunities Public solicitation and posting of bid opportunities on behalf of member agencies, allowing vendors to submit competitive bids for public safety equipment, supplies, and services contracts.

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Savvik Buying GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSavvik Buying Group is a Minnesota-based non-profit corporation serving as a contracting agency for public safety, education and government. They create national cooperative purchasing solutions on behalf of member agencies, consolidating individually prepared solicitations into one national, cooperatively shared process. Public bids created by PSAI are free to use by Savvik members. PSAI partners with Savvik for marketing and distribution of cooperative purchasing programs.
• Eagle County Paramedic ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEagle County Paramedic Services (ECPS), also known as Eagle County Health Service District, is a full-service EMS agency providing 9-1-1 emergency response, inter-facility patient transportation, Community Paramedic services, and specialized response teams. PSAI works directly with Eagle County to create legal public bids that serve their communities. Eagle County serves as the legal entity for PSAI's public bidding operations.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• HGACBuy: Houston-Galveston Area Council cooperative purchasing program serving governments, schools and non-profits nationwide. Comparable cooperative purchasing model serving similar government and public-sector buyers.
• Omnia Partners: Major U.S. cooperative purchasing organization (formerly National IPA/UTA) serving public agencies, education and non-profits. Competes for cooperative contract volume in categories like public safety vehicles, IT and services.
• NASPO ValuePoint: National Association of State Procurement Officials cooperative purchasing arm offering cooperative contracts to state and local government. Directly comparable cooperative-purchasing model serving overlapping government buyers.
• Equalis Group: Member-driven cooperative purchasing organization serving public agencies, schools and non-profits with publicly solicited cooperative contracts. Overlaps directly with PSAI's RFB-based service offering.
• Savvik Buying Group: Minnesota-based non-profit cooperative purchasing organization for public safety, education and government. PSAI's primary channel partner; both organizations facilitate cooperative contracts for overlapping public-safety member bases.
• National Purchasing Partners (NPPGov): Cooperative purchasing organization that aggregates public-sector demand for products and services including public safety. Comparable mission and member profile to PSAI.
• Sourcewell: One of the largest U.S. government cooperative purchasing organizations, formerly the National Joint Powers Alliance. Competes for the same public-sector cooperative purchasing demand PSAI targets, but at significantly larger scale.

Broad incumbents

• U.S. Communities (now part of Sourcewell): Government cooperative purchasing program now operating under Sourcewell. Provides national cooperative contracts to public agencies including public safety buyers; broader portfolio but overlapping cooperative contract mechanics.
• National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO): National membership organization of state chief procurement officials. While policy- and standards-focused rather than a direct purchasing cooperative, it shapes the cooperative purchasing environment in which PSAI competes.

Emerging players

• Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA): Membership association for state and local government finance professionals. While not a purchasing cooperative, it addresses similar government procurement and budgeting pain points through education, best practices and resources.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Public Safety Association