E&I Highlights Member Value and Growth as Education Pressures Intensify

Melville, N.Y. – April 2026 – E&I Cooperative Services, the only member-owned, nonprofit procurement cooperative exclusively focused on the education sector, recently hosted its Annual Member Town Hall, providing members with an update on the Cooperative’s 2025 financial performance, strategic priorities, and the increasing challenges facing higher education institutions.

As institutions navigate rising costs, enrollment pressures, and resource constraints, E&I leadership emphasized cooperative procurement as a practical strategy to reduce costs, preserve institutional capacity, and accelerate time to impact.

“Time, talent, and risk tolerance are structurally constrained right now,” said Eric Frank, CEO of E&I Cooperative Services. “How institutions choose to use their scarce capacity matters more than ever.”

2025 Performance Highlights

E&I reported strong performance and expanded impact across its growing member community, including:

• Membership Growth: Surpassed 6,500 member educational institutions nationwide
• Contract Portfolio Growth: Expanded to 260 competitively solicited contracts, more than doubling the portfolio over the past four years
• Member Purchasing Power: Enabled $3.2 billion in member-driven spend
• Financial Returns to Members: Declared a $5 million cash patronage refund, returning value directly to participating institutions
• Leadership Development: Launched and expanded the EdPro NextGen Leadership Program, along with additional peer networking initiatives for procurement leaders

Looking Ahead: 2026 Strategic Priorities

The Cooperative outlined strategic focus areas for 2026, including enhancing contract quality through deeper benchmarking and supplier performance management, expanding strategic member engagement, and continuing development of data-driven tools to help institutions identify savings, avoid costs, and improve time-to-impact.

E&I also emphasized partnerships with regional associations and member networks to extend the Cooperative’s reach and make adoption easier, particularly for small colleges navigating limited internal capacity.

A Call to Leverage the Cooperative

E&I leadership urged institutions to reconsider how and where they deploy their limited time and expertise, pointing to cooperative procurement as a practical, immediate way to address cost pressures without sacrificing institutional priorities.

“Leveraging shared infrastructure like E&I isn’t convenient; it’s necessary,” Frank said. “It’s no longer about getting a marginally better deal; it’s about avoiding work that does not differentiate your institution.”

Members can access the 2025 Annual Report and a recording of the Town Hall meeting at www.eandi.org.

About E&I Cooperative Services
E&I Cooperative Services (E&I) is the only member-owned, non-profit procurement cooperative exclusively focused on serving higher education and K-12 institutions. E&I delivers unsurpassed value and an exceptional experience to its members through a broad portfolio of competitively solicited contracts with industry-leading suppliers and innovative sourcing solutions. The Cooperative empowers its members to make informed, analytics-driven decisions to capture more spend and optimize their education dollars. Rooted in a strong, member-driven community, E&I fosters collaboration, shared expertise, and collective impact across the education sector, helping institutions advance their missions through cooperative purchasing. For more information, please visit www.eandi.org.

###

Media Contact
Nicole Katz, Sr. Manager, Corporate Content
E&I Cooperative Services
631.630.8294 | nkatz@eandi.org