ETCOG Awards Civic Marketplace to Expand Cooperative Purchasing for Rural Communities, Schools, and Local Districts

KILGORE, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, the East Texas Council of Governments (ETCOG), announced the award of Civic Marketplace as the technology platform for COGWORKS – its cooperative purchasing arm. The partnership will leverage cutting-edge technology and artificial intelligence to support regional purchasing for rural communities, school districts, and local governments across the East Texas region, state, and nationwide.

For more than 50 years, ETCOG has supported East Texas through regional planning, coordination, and shared services. COGWORKS was established in response to member demand for dependable cost-control solutions that serve jurisdictions of all sizes through competitively awarded cooperative contracts.

This collaboration strengthens COGWORKS by improving shared buying, administrative coordination, and visibility into contract activity, enabling members to operate more efficiently while meeting procurement requirements.

“This partnership supports our responsibility to ensure rural communities, schools, and local districts can access purchasing programs that deliver measurable savings and efficiencies,” said David Cleveland, Executive Director of ETCOG. “COGWORKS allows participants to benefit from collective buying power and shared procurement expertise through a program they know and trust.”

Civic Marketplace will partner with ETCOG to activate and operate COGWORKS on its digital platform, in order to expand participation and deliver measurable value to member agencies across East Texas. Through its purpose-built technology platform, proprietary artificial intelligence agentic solutions, and hands-on program enablement, Civic Marketplace will support contract visibility, supplier onboarding, entity activation, and ongoing program analytics at no cost to member agencies.

“This partnership demonstrates ETCOG's commitment to building a strong, sustainable cooperative purchasing ecosystem for East Texas,” said Al Hleileh, CEO and Co-Founder of Civic Marketplace. “Our goal is to help COGWORKS increase utilization and transparency of cooperative contracts, elevate local businesses, and deliver regional efficiency.”

“Civic Marketplace was born in East Texas, with deep roots in the cities of Longview and Tyler,” added Ron Holifield, Co-Founder and President of Civic Marketplace. “Our partnership with COGWORKS is both a homecoming and a new wellspring for these communities, bringing together collaborative purchasing and cutting edge technology to help local government entities better serve their residents.”

As COGWORKS continues to grow, ETCOG and Civic Marketplace will work together to expand contract offerings, support supplier participation, and provide members with the tools and information needed to use cooperative purchasing effectively.

About ETCOG

We serve as the bridge between federal, state, and local governments, helping cities and counties solve challenges and impact the future regionally. Established in 1970, ETCOG, either directly or through its contractors, provides programs and services for East Texas seniors, employers, and job seekers. ETCOG and its contractors also build the 9-1-1 emergency call delivery system, provide peace officer training and homeland security planning services, and deliver rural transportation services, business finance programs, and environmental grant funding for the region. We serve Anderson, Camp, Cherokee, Gregg, Harrison, Henderson, Marion, Panola, Rains, Rusk, Smith, Upshur, Van Zandt, and Wood counties. www.etcog.org

About Civic Marketplace

Civic Marketplace is the AI procurement platform built for local governments and free for every SLED entity to use. By removing cost as a barrier, we make it easier for cities, counties, and school districts to modernize how they buy goods and services without adding strain to already tight budgets.

Our platform connects government buyers to a network of pre-approved suppliers, ensuring every contract meets compliance and quality standards from the start. We're especially committed to expanding access for historically underutilized businesses, helping local governments support regional suppliers and strengthen the communities they serve.

Procurement doesn't have to be slow, complicated, or expensive. Civic Marketplace is backed by venture investment and built to prove it.

Learn more at civicmarketplace.com

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