New Hampshire SB 580: relative to establishing a school cooperative purchasing program.

Bill Text

SB 580-FN - AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE

02/19/2026 0510s

2026 SESSION

 26-2273

 12/09

SENATE BILL 580-FN

AN ACT relative to establishing a school cooperative purchasing program.

SPONSORS: Sen. Sullivan, Dist 18; Sen. McGough, Dist 11; Sen. Pearl, Dist 17; Rep. Layon, Rock. 13

COMMITTEE: Education

─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

AMENDED ANALYSIS

 This bill:

 I. Establishes a school cooperative purchasing program to allow multiple school districts or school administrative units (SAUs) the ability to enter into joint agreements for the procurement of specific goods and services in schools. 

 II. Authorizes the state board of education to place schools and SAUs into a receivership in limited circumstances.

 III. Requires school boards and the board of trustees of chartered public schools to adopt policies relative to their schools.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

 Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

 Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

02/19/2026 0510s 26-2273

 12/09

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty-Six

AN ACT relative to establishing a school cooperative purchasing program.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

 1 New Section; School Cooperative Purchasing Program. Amend RSA 21-I by inserting after section 17-d the following new section: 

 21-I:17-e School Cooperative Purchasing Program. 

 I. The director of procurement and support services, in consultation with the department of education, shall establish and administer a cooperative purchasing program for the benefit of school districts, school administrative units (SAUs), and chartered public schools. Under this program, the division shall periodically solicit competitive bids or proposals for goods and services that represent major expenses for K–12 education, including but not limited to student transportation services, school food service management or food supplies, curriculum materials and textbooks, heating fuel, and other high-cost items commonly purchased by school districts. The solicitations may be structured to allow for regional or statewide contracts, multiple recipients, or other formats as deemed in the best interest of the state and participating schools. 

 II. For each solicitation under this program, the director shall endeavor to secure favorable pricing and terms by leveraging the anticipated combined purchasing volume of multiple schools and districts. Any contract awarded as a result shall include provisions enabling any school district, SAU, or chartered public school in New Hampshire to purchase goods or services under the contract. Such purchases by local education agencies shall be on the same or substantially similar terms and pricing extended to state agencies or as otherwise set forth in the contract, in accordance with the usage provisions of the contract. Participation by a school district, SAU, or charter school in any state-awarded contract under this section shall be voluntary. Nothing in this section shall compel a school or district to utilize the state contract. The decision to opt into a given state procurement contract shall rest with the governing school board of the district or the board of trustees of the chartered public school, as applicable. 

 III. A purchase made by a school district, SAU, or chartered public school through a contract established under this section shall be deemed to satisfy any requirement for competitive bidding or solicitation of quotations that might otherwise apply to that purchase under law or local policy, in order to streamline procurement for participating schools by utilizing contracts that have already been competitively bid by the state. Each participating school or district shall remain responsible for ensuring payment and compliance with any reporting or contractual obligations for its own purchases. The department of administrative services shall assume no liability for the performance of any local entity using the contract, beyond administering the contract itself. 

 IV. The commissioner of administrative services is authorized to adopt rules, pursuant to RSA 541-A, as necessary to implement the provisions of this section, including procedures for schools to join or leave contracts, and guidelines for contract vendors extending pricing to non-state entities. 

 2 New Section; Cooperative School Purchasing Agreements. Amend RSA 194 by inserting after section 3:e the following new section: 

 194:3-f Cooperative School Purchasing Agreements. 

 I. In order to combine purchasing power and achieve cost savings or administrative efficiencies in the acquisition of products or