Edmond Public Schools Strengthens Child Nutrition Purchasing Through Cooperative Contracts

For more than a decade, Edmond Public Schools has used cooperative purchasing to strengthen its child nutrition program while supporting other districts across Oklahoma. 

Dan Lindsey, Executive Director of Operations and former Child Nutrition Director at Edmond Public Schools, has been there since the program’s early days. What began as a small collaboration between three school districts evolved into a long-running purchasing program that provides cost savings, operational support, and shared expertise for participating schools. 

Today, Edmond Public Schools leverages OMNIA Partners cooperative contracts for food purchasing and is exploring contracts in other operational areas including facilities, maintenance, technology, and supplies. 

“We’ve seen a lot of benefits going this route,” said Dan Lindsey, Executive Director of Operations at Edmond Public Schools. “It really started as a way to help smaller districts with their purchasing.” 

Smaller Districts Were Paying the Highest Prices 

Before launching the program, school nutrition leaders in Oklahoma noticed a troubling pattern: the districts that needed financial relief the most were often paying the highest prices for food. 

Smaller, self-operated districts lacked the buying power and resources to negotiate strong pricing or manage complex procurement processes. 

“I started in a smaller district and when I moved to a larger district on national contracts, it was a huge difference in what I was paying,” Lindsey explained. “The schools that needed help the most were paying the highest prices.” 

At the same time, federal child nutrition regulations required food contracts to be locally solicited, limiting access to national cooperative agreements typically used for other purchasing categories. 

Recognizing the challenge, three school nutrition directors began exploring ways to work together. 

A Locally Compliant Cooperative Purchasing Model 

Leaders from Edmond Public Schools, Stillwater Public Schools, and Ponca City Public Schools partnered to develop a cooperative purchasing contract designed specifically for Oklahoma’s regulatory requirements. 

Edmond Public Schools volunteered to lead and manage the contract, while the partner districts helped with menu development and nutrition analysis. 

“So we decided that ultimately we needed an Oklahoma local contract,” Lindsey said. “Edmond has managed the contract these eleven years.” 

Through cooperative purchasing and collaboration, districts could combine purchasing power while maintaining regulatory compliance. 

Beyond pricing advantages, the program also created a network of school nutrition professionals who regularly share knowledge and best practices. 

“It’s really like a peer group,” Lindsey said. “We put our heads together and help each other out.” 

The group also collaborates on menu planning, product evaluations, and operational challenges — helping smaller districts that may not have dedicated resources for those tasks. 

Lower Costs and Stronger Collaboration 

Within just a few years of implementing the cooperative contract, participating districts began seeing measurable cost reductions. 

Food costs dropped significantly compared to previous purchasing methods. 

“Before we started, we were running around 39–40% food cost,” Lindsey said. “After two to three years, we had it down to around 37%.” 

Equally important, the program helped smaller districts maintain self-operated nutrition programs rather than turning to contract management due to staffing challenges. 

“It really started as a way to help smaller districts,” Lindsey said. “A lot of them were struggling with turnover or not knowing how to manage menus, and we were able to provide that support as a group.” 

As Lindsey transitioned into his role overseeing district operations, he has explored the possibility of expanding the use of cooperative purchasing across additional departments. 

According to Lindsey, the benefits extend far beyond cost savings. 

Cooperative contracts help the district streamline purchasing and work with trusted vendors without lengthy bid processes. 

“Those contracts are huge benefits for us because they speed up the purchasing timeline,” Lindsey said. “You get to use vendors and products you trust without having to go through the full bid process every time.” 

For Edmond Public Schools, cooperative purchasing has become a powerful tool for delivering value, efficiency, and collaboration across the district. 

And for the school nutrition leaders who launched the program, the mission remains the same: ensuring every district — regardless of size — has access to the purchasing power and expertise needed to serve students effectively.