National IPA Executive Leaders Form New Shared Services Organization, OMNIA Partners

FRANKLIN, Tenn. – Aug. 16, 2017 – National Intergovernmental Purchasing Alliance (National IPA), the nation’s leading education and public sector purchasing cooperative, has formed OMNIA Partners, a shared services and supply chain optimization company dedicated to government, education and the private sector.

OMNIA Partners brings together three subsidiaries: National IPA; its recent acquisition, Prime Advantage, a Chicago-based mid-market manufacturing group purchasing organization; and Corporate United, a Cleveland-based group purchasing organization focused on customers within the Fortune 1000, with whom OMNIA has signed a definitive agreement to acquire. Customers of each subsidiary will benefit from the increased services, infrastructure and supplier relationships provided by OMNIA while supplier partners will experience the benefits of one of the largest group purchasing sales teams in the country.

“OMNIA Partners was formed to continue our growth into other market sectors while providing unrivaled solutions and value to customers,” said Todd Abner, President & Chief Executive Officer, OMNIA Partners. “With its subsidiary purchasing organizations, OMNIA will represent approximately $10 billion in annual spend, and will continue to execute upon its strategic acquisitions plan to further enhance the offerings for the customers and suppliers of each subsidiary.”

“In order to achieve our strategic long-term growth goals while providing additional value to our members and suppliers, Prime Advantage welcomes the support and resources a strong parent 2 company like OMNIA Partners can provide,” said Louise O’Sullivan, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Prime Advantage.

Through organic growth and strategic acquisitions, OMNIA will continue to drive economies of scale so that its subsidiaries and supplier network can execute more robust solutions, in more markets, providing the best value.

“In addition to offering our customers higher-volume value and increased portfolio breadth, OMNIA will share technology, marketing, supply chain and financial expertise across the markets to further impact the customers positively,” said Ward Brown, Chief Operating Officer, OMNIA Partners.

Cost support, savings analysis, asset management optimization, procurement expertise, networking and professional development are just a few of the services that OMNIA will offer to its subsidiary customers.

“As an OMNIA Partners company, Corporate United will have access to more robust resources to better serve our overall membership and supplier partners,” said Gregg Mylett, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Corporate United. “Our supplier partners will experience significantly larger scale and numerous opportunities to expand their relationship within the OMNIA customer base.”

About Us

President & Chief Executive Officer, Todd Abner and Chief Operating Officer, Ward Brown formed Horizon Resource Group in 2001. Horizon Resource Group was a group purchasing organization dedicated to higher education. The success of Horizon Resource Group led to the formation of National Intergovernmental Purchasing Alliance (National IPA) in 2006, expanding the cooperative purchasing offering into other verticals, state and local government, as well as primary education business. Today, National IPA is the nation’s leading cooperative purchasing organization for both education and the public sector. More than 150,000 agencies and institutions currently participate in the National IPA cooperative through utilization of approximately 400 competitive contracts within the portfolio offering.

In 2013, National IPA merged with Provista, a subsidiary of Vizient, Inc., the nation’s largest member-owned healthcare services company with an estimated $100 billion in annual transaction volume. The merger resulted in an acceleration of National IPA’s growth.

In July 2015, National IPA, under the leadership of Abner and Brown, acquired The Cooperative Purchasing Network Management Company, LLC (TCPN), a national cooperative dedicated to primary education and public sector agencies. This acquisition yet again positioned National IPA in a leadership role for another industry, primary education.

In September 2016, with support from TA Associates in Boston, MA, Abner and Brown executed a management buyback of National IPA from Provista. TA Associates is one of the largest and most experienced global growth private equity firms. TA has raised $24 billion in capital and is investing out of current funds of $7.25 billion.

OMNIA Partners, formed by National IPA in 2017 to provide shared services and supply chain optimization to government, education and the private sector, acquired Prime Advantage in June 2017 and, in August 2017, entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Corporate United with an anticipated close in early September.