MOHAVE IS HIRING!
Posting Closes January 13, 2025
by Human Resources
Mohave Educational Services Cooperative (Mohave) is one of the most respected nonprofit cooperative purchasing agencies in Arizona and is seeking applicants for the following positions:
CONTRACT SPECIALIST – 2 Positions Available
CPPB (Certified Professional Public Buyer), CPPO (Certified Public Procurement Officer), NIGP-CPP (Certified Procurement Professional) or C.P.M. (Certified Purchasing Manager), at the time of hire is preferred. If no certifications are held at the time of hire, certification is expected to be obtained within eighteen (18) months from the date of hire. If certification is not obtained within eighteen (18) months, Mohave reserves the right to release the employee from continued employment.
The Contract Specialist position would be equivalent to a buyer position in other public agencies’ procurement departments.
This position is responsible for researching, preparing, issuing, evaluating, awarding, and administering Mohave’s cooperative procurement contracts. This position requires a person with excellent research, organizational, analytical, critical thinking, communication, and information systems skills. In addition, practical experience and knowledge of the principles, practices, rules, regulations, and laws applicable to Arizona public procurement are preferred.
Mohave is offering the qualified candidate a full-time non-exempt position with a competitive hourly rate ranging from $33.36 – $36.70 (depending on experience), plus a generous benefits package which includes participation in the Arizona State Retirement System.
While the office is located in Kingman, we will consider a remote worker that resides in the state of Arizona.
Application and Job Description can be downloaded at http://www.mesc.org/careers.
Please submit a copy of your résumé and application via email to .
Vendor Registration in OpenGov Procurement
by Contracts Team
Mohave issues all of its solicitations using the OpenGov Procurement platform. Vendors who have registered on the Mohave/OpenGov portal will receive a notification when a solicitation is released and can access the solicitation documents. These notifications go to the email address and contact person on record in the OpenGov Vendor Registration database. Mohave recommends our Contract Vendors keep the following in mind:
- OpenGov does not let you know of an out-of-date or incorrect undeliverable email address.
- Mohave does not maintain the OpenGov Vendor Registration database.
- Being a Mohave Contract Vendor does not automatically register your firm on the OpenGov Vendor Registration database.
- It is strongly recommended that you use an email address monitored by multiple staff members at your firm. It is not recommended that a personal (@yahoo, @gmail) email address be used as your main contact.
- Multiple registrations at one firm are acceptable.
- Please note that registering on OpenGov does not make your firm a Mohave Contract Vendor.
We recommend our Contract Vendors review their OpenGov Vendor Registration information regularly to make sure it is current.
Once you have registered your firm, you will begin receiving all of Mohave’s issued solicitations. OpenGov notifies many vendors at one time. It is possible your email server may consider the notification as Junk. It is important that you and those in your firm receiving notifications review the Junk Email Folders to make sure these email notifications are not being filtered.
Should you run into any registration issues or notification issues, the fine folks at OpenGov can assist you.
You may access the OpenGov Vendor Registration here: https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/mesc
Professional Development Opportunities with AASBO and Mohave Cooperative in January 2025!
by Engagement Team
AASBO is off to a great start in 2025 with another round of valuable professional development sessions designed to connect our community. The Vendor/Buyer and Winter Conferences are just around the corner.
Join Mohave Cooperative at the Desert Willow Conference Center on January 28 and 29, 2025, for a series of sessions with practical takeaways for all attendees. Whether you’re looking to deepen your industry knowledge, build your professional network, or explore the latest trends, this conference is the perfect opportunity to invest in your professional and personal growth.
We look forward to seeing you there and collaborating with you in these exciting and educational sessions.
Vendor/Buyer Conference — January 28, 2025
Session 201: How to Promote Your Contract
Nancy Colbaugh, Mohave Cooperative / Lila McCleery, Phoenix Union High School District / Tanya Tyler, CounterTrade Products, Inc. / Scott Engel and Gary Barkman, Mesa Public Schools
Session 301: Benefits of Cooperative Purchasing
Nancy Colbaugh, Mohave Cooperative / Lila McCleery, Phoenix Union High School District / Tanya Tyler, CounterTrade Products, Inc. / Christy Knorr, 1GPA / Nancy Burns, Equalis Group / Nick Grund, Axia Cooperative / Gary Barkman, Mesa Public Schools
Michael Carter, Mohave Cooperative / Caroline Brackley, The Professional Group Public Consulting, Inc. / Scott Engel, Mesa Public Schools / Erica Edelstein, Tempe Union High School District / Dennis York, Casa Grande Elementary School District / Tanya Tyler, CounterTrade Products, Inc.
Winter Conference — January 29, 2025
Session 104: Renewal of Contracts
Michael Carter, Mohave Cooperative / Caroline Brackley, The Professional Group Public Consulting, Inc. / Gary Barkman, Mesa Public Schools / Erica Edelstein, Tempe Union High School District / Dennis York, Casa Grande Elementary School District / Tanya Tyler, CounterTrade Products, Inc.
Session 404: Managing Cooperative Contract Expirations with Ongoing Procurements
Sherry Jimenez and Michael Carter, Mohave Cooperative / Gary Barkman, Mesa Public Schools
Mark your calendars and be part of the conversation—see you at the Desert Willow Conference Center!
Understand and Use Mohave: New Videos for Members
by Information Systems Department
We’re excited to share new resources to help members better understand Mohave and how to effectively use our contracts.
First up, we’ve created two introductory videos to explain who we are and what we do:
‘Who is Mohave?’ – A brief history of Mohave and an overview of how we operate. |
 |
‘Who is ASPIN?’ – Learn about our food service program and the valuable services it provides. |
 |
These videos are designed to give you a clear understanding of our mission, operations, and how we can support your needs.
We’ve also made some videos to help you out with Mohave’s contracts. Just make sure you’re logged in to view them. If you need help with your website credentials, please send an email to or call us at 928-753-6945.
If you want to know everything about the purchasing process when using our contracts, check out our ‘Steps for Success’ guide. This video takes you through each step, from becoming a Mohave member to finding a contract on our website and completing the procurement. |
 |
Finally, our Compliance Team has compiled an instructional video that guides you through verifying Mohave contract pricing. Learn how to verify that the pricing quoted by the vendor matches the Mohave contract pricing. |
 |