How Pennsylvania's COSTARS program connects suppliers with thousands of municipalities, school districts, and authorities — and how a small vendor can get on a contract without hiring a consultant.
Last reviewed on September 28, 2026 by the Government.biz editorial team. Verify contract numbers, fees, and procedures with the Pennsylvania Department of General Services COSTARS Program before you rely on them.
COSTARS is the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's cooperative purchasing program, run by the Department of General Services (DGS) Bureau of Procurement. DGS describes it as the conduit through which registered Pennsylvania local public procurement units (LPPUs) and state-affiliated entities do business with suppliers through contracts DGS has already competitively established. The name stands for Cooperative Sourcing to Achieve Reductions in Spend.
The legal foundation is the Commonwealth Procurement Code (62 Pa.C.S.). Section 1902 of the original 1998 Code allowed local public procurement units to buy cooperatively with the Commonwealth, and Act 77 of 2004 directed DGS to create contracts exclusively for local and state-affiliated buyers. Because DGS awards those contracts through its own competitive process, DGS states that COSTARS purchases meet the Procurement Code's cooperative purchasing requirements for local government buying — so a township or school district can issue a purchase order instead of writing specifications and advertising a bid.
For the broader Pennsylvania market — state agency buying, PennDOT, and certification — see our Pennsylvania state contracts guide. This page focuses on COSTARS itself.
COSTARS "membership" is for buyers, not sellers. According to the DGS COSTARS Supplier Guide, eligible members include:
Members must register with DGS, and suppliers are expected to confirm a buyer's membership in the online member list before selling under COSTARS. Participation is voluntary: a member may use COSTARS, another cooperative, or its own bid process.
Numbered contracts such as COSTARS-3 or COSTARS-26, created solely for members. DGS issues an Invitation for Bids and awards a contract to every responsive and responsible bidder. Bid price is not scored for award; members compare suppliers and pick the best value for each purchase. Bids are accepted on a continuous basis.
Regular DGS statewide contracts (including many Invitation to Qualify, or ITQ, contracts) where the awarded supplier elects into COSTARS during bidding. Those suppliers can then sell to members on the same terms. On PA eMarketplace, a "Yes" in the COSTARS column shows who has opted in.
The table below reflects the COSTARS-exclusive contracts listed in DGS's Guide to COSTARS Contracts (December 2024 edition). DGS adds, rebids, and retires categories, so check the current COSTARS contract search before you rely on a number.
| Contract | Category |
|---|---|
| COSTARS-1 | Copiers, Document Imaging and Multifunction Devices |
| COSTARS-3 | IT Hardware (excludes IT services, software licenses, and cloud) |
| COSTARS-4 | Office, School and Library Supplies |
| COSTARS-5 | Janitorial Supplies |
| COSTARS-6 | Software (on-premise, downloadable, and "shrink wrap"; excludes supplier- and cloud-hosted solutions) |
| COSTARS-7 | Foods |
| COSTARS-8 | Maintenance, Repair & Operation (MRO) Equipment and Supplies |
| COSTARS-9 | Graphic & Printing Services, Equipment and Supplies |
| COSTARS-11 | Toiletries |
| COSTARS-12 / 13 | Emergency Responder Equipment and Supplies / Emergency Responder Vehicles |
| COSTARS-14 | Recreational and Fitness Equipment |
| COSTARS-15 / 16 | Water & Wastewater Treatment Consumables / Plant Components |
| COSTARS-17 to 21 | Waste and Recycling Containers; LED Traffic Signal Modules; Medical Supplies; Laboratory Supplies; Pest Control |
| COSTARS-24 / 25 / 26 | Traffic Signs / Municipal Work Vehicles / Passenger Vehicles |
| COSTARS-28 to 30 | Energy Conservation Management Supplies; Grounds Keeping Services and Supplies; Energy Consulting Services |
| COSTARS-32 / 33 | Signage / Street Lighting, Parking Meters and Street Furniture ("Streetscape") |
| COSTARS-34 to 38 | Theater (Auditorium) Furniture, Fixtures and A/V; Furniture and Window Treatments; Appliances, Cafeteria Equipment and Supplies; Uniforms; Heavy Equipment Rental |
| COSTARS-39 / 40 | Voting Systems and ePollbooks / Security and Surveillance Systems and Fire Alarm Systems |
| COSTARS-41 / 42 | Stormwater Management Products and Services / Electronic Monitoring Services and Equipment |
DGS lays out the path in four steps.
Per the DGS supplier FAQ, it normally takes about 4–6 weeks from a correctly completed Bid Item Workbook to the responsive-and-responsible determination, and the contract is awarded within ten business days of receiving the fee. Only after the award letter, payment, and posting of the contract (with a "Yes" in the COSTARS column) can a member buy from you through COSTARS.
For COSTARS-exclusive contracts there is generally no annual application window. DGS operates a continuous bidding procedure: bids can be submitted on any Commonwealth business day, and if something is missing, you can fix it and resubmit. Statewide contracts that allow COSTARS election, by contrast, have fixed solicitation dates — sign up for DGS e-Alerts by commodity code to catch them.
| Supplier classification | Annual administrative fee (per contract) |
|---|---|
| DGS-verified Small Diverse Business | $166 |
| DGS-verified Veteran-owned Business | $166 |
| DGS self-certified Small Business | $500 |
| All others | $1,500 |
DGS emphasizes that, unlike many national cooperatives, COSTARS charges no percentage-of-sales fee. The annual fee covers program administration and includes a non-exclusive license to use the COSTARS name and logo, access to the member contact list, and help from COSTARS marketing staff. Small and SDB bidders must include a copy of their active certificate with the bid to qualify for the lower fee.
Awarded suppliers must report COSTARS sales electronically at least quarterly through the COSTARS Supplier Gateway in the PA Supplier Portal, listing each member purchaser, sales dates, and dollar volume. DGS may suspend a supplier's participation for failing to file reports on time — report "zero sales" quarters too if your contract terms require it.
A COSTARS member orders directly from the supplier with its own purchase order and pays the supplier directly; each purchase order incorporates the contract terms. DGS does not guarantee any volume. Because most COSTARS-exclusive contracts have many awardees, DGS urges members to negotiate with several suppliers to get best value, and members decide what "best value" means — price, compatibility, delivery time, or keeping spending local.
Two practical consequences for suppliers:
People searching for the "Pennsylvania procurement portal" usually mean one of several DGS systems, each with a different job:
COSTARS-exclusive contracts are public records under the Right-to-Know Law and are posted where anyone can read them — including your competitors. Use that to benchmark pricing structures before you bid.
Pennsylvania's small business programs are run by the DGS Bureau of Diversity, Inclusion, and Small Business Opportunities (BDISBO). A self-certified Small Business meets the Commonwealth's size standards; a verified Small Diverse Business is additionally verified as owned and controlled by, for example, minority, women, veteran, service-disabled veteran, LGBT, or disability-owned business owners. On COSTARS the most tangible benefit is the reduced administrative fee ($166 or $500 versus $1,500). On statewide contracts, SDB and small business participation can also factor into evaluation and subcontracting commitments. Pennsylvania certification is separate from federal SBA programs and from city programs in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
| COSTARS-exclusive | DGS statewide contract | National cooperatives | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buyers | Registered PA local and state-affiliated members only | Commonwealth agencies; COSTARS members too if supplier elects in | Public agencies in many states, per each program's rules |
| Award basis | All responsive and responsible bidders; price not scored | Competitive (low bid, best value, or ITQ qualification) | Varies by cooperative and lead agency |
| When you can bid | Continuously | Fixed solicitation dates | Fixed solicitation dates |
| Fee model | Flat annual admin fee per contract | COSTARS admin fee if you elect in | Often a percentage of sales |
COSTARS is the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's cooperative purchasing program, run by the Department of General Services (DGS). It lets registered local public procurement units and state-affiliated entities buy from DGS-established contracts instead of running their own bids. DGS reports more than 9,500 member buyers.
Register in the PA Supplier Portal to get a six-digit vendor number, submit an electronic bid on a COSTARS-exclusive solicitation through COSTARS Electronic Bidding, and pay the annual administrative fee once DGS finds the bid responsive and responsible. Statewide contract holders can instead elect into COSTARS when they bid.
Not for most COSTARS-exclusive contracts. DGS operates them under a continuous bidding procedure, so bids can be submitted on any Commonwealth business day and corrected and resubmitted if something is missing. Statewide contracts that allow COSTARS election have fixed solicitation dates.
There is no percentage-of-sales fee. Suppliers pay an annual administrative fee per contract: $166 for DGS-verified Small Diverse Businesses and Veteran-owned Businesses, $500 for DGS self-certified Small Businesses, and $1,500 for all others, per DGS.
No. In DGS's COSTARS contract guide, COSTARS-33 is Street Lighting, Parking Meters and Street Furniture (Streetscape), which includes parking enforcement hardware and software. On-premise software is COSTARS-6, IT hardware is COSTARS-3, and IT services and hosted software run through statewide IT ITQ contracts.
Yes. COSTARS-exclusive contracts are awarded to every responsive and responsible bidder, bid price is not scored, DGS offers free training, and bids can be corrected and resubmitted. The harder part is marketing to members after award, which no consultant can do for you.
No. Commonwealth executive and independent agencies do not buy through COSTARS-exclusive contracts; they use DGS statewide contracts. COSTARS-exclusive contracts are only for registered local public procurement units and state-affiliated entities.
Authoritative sources: DGS COSTARS Cooperative Purchasing, How to Become a COSTARS Supplier, COSTARS Supplier Guide, and Guide to COSTARS Contracts. This page is general information, not legal advice.