Purchasing Consortium/Consortia


Purchasing consortia are a key way to reduce purchasing costs and seek common solutions.Different types of consortia models, their strengths and weaknesses, the critical steps needed to establish a consortium, and a number of key metrics for ensuring success are provided.

Technique Overview

Purchasing Consortium/Consortia

Purchasing Consortium/Consortia Definition

A purchasing consortium is a "collaborative arrangement in which two or more organisations join together to combine their individual requirements for goods, works or services to gain better prices, design, supply availability and assurance benefits compared to if each member purchased the goods or services alone" (Farringdon & Lysons, 2006).

Purchasing Consortium/Consortia Description *

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Business Evidence

Strengths, weaknesses and examples of Purchasing Consortium/Consortia *

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Business Application

Implementation, success factors and measures of Purchasing Consortium/Consortia *

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Professional Tools

Purchasing Consortium/Consortia videos and downloads *

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Further Reading

Purchasing Consortium/Consortia web and print resources *

Purchasing Consortium/Consortia references (4 of up to 20) *

  • Bradley, A. (2005) London Housing Group to Buy Through National Consortium, Supply Management, December 12.
  • Cabinet Office (2009) Working in a Consortium. [Online] Available at: (webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/107235/consortium guide final.pdf). [Accessed May 2015].
  • Charlesworth, A. (2011) Creating a Consortium Agreement. Centre for IT and Law, University of Bristol. [Online] Available at: (www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/funding/project_management/consortiumagreements.pdf). [Accessed May 2015].
  • CIPS: Measuring Purchasing Performance. [Online] Available at: (www.greenwich-college.ac.uk/programmes-courses/professional/cips/L4-03-Measuring-purchasing-performance.pdf.) [Accessed May 2015].

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