Compliance & legal
Sourcewell is a local government unit, public corporation, and public agency under the laws of the state of Minnesota.
Legal authority
Sourcewell was created by state law as a service cooperative to provide programs and services to education and government. Sourcewell was established with the statutory purpose to assist public agencies in meeting specific needs which are more efficiently delivered cooperatively than by an entity individually.
As a service cooperative, Sourcewell is a local government unit, public corporation, and public agency pursuant to the Minnesota Constitution and enabling law Minn. Stat. § 123A.21. All Sourcewell employees are government employees. Sourcewell is governed by an eight-member board made up of local elected officials including county commissioners, city council members, mayors, and school board members.
Sourcewell is authorized to establish competitively awarded cooperative purchasing contracts on behalf of itself and its participating agencies. Sourcewell follows the competitive contracting law process to solicit, evaluate, and award cooperative purchasing contracts for goods and services. Sourcewell cooperative purchasing contracts are made available through the joint exercise of powers law Minn. Stat. § 471.59 to participating agencies.
Sourcewell clients are able to utilize cooperative purchasing contracts through similar joint powers, intergovernmental cooperation, or cooperative purchasing laws in their respective jurisdiction. Participating agencies include all eligible government, education, and nonprofit agencies nationwide and in Canada.