NC H701

Defines "cooperative purchasing agreement" as an agreement between a vendor and one or more states or state agencies for collaborative purchasing of information technology goods and services to increase economies of scale and reduce costs.

Requires State agencies seeking to use cooperative purchasing agreements to obtain prior approval from the State Chief Information Officer (CIO), who must verify competitive bidding and best value under existing procurement law.

Allows State agencies to use General Services Administration (GSA) Cooperative Purchasing Program for information technology awarded under GSA Schedule 70 and the GSA Consolidated Schedule without additional approval.

Requires the State CIO to establish procedures for utilizing cooperative purchasing agreements and mandates that agencies report periodically to the CIO on their use of these agreements.

Became effective upon ratification on July 23, 2013.