CHAMPS Group Purchasing Announces Channel Partnership With OMNIA Partners

Cleveland-based CHAMPS Group Purchasing, a national group purchasing organization (GPO) with more than 25,000 member locations across the U.S., is expanding its presence in the public sector market through a collaborative agreement with OMNIA Partners, the nation’s largest and most experienced cooperative purchasing organization for the public and private sectors.

Through this agreement, CHAMPS has been designated OMNIA’s exclusive channel partner in a six-state region that encompasses Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Kentucky, and West Virginia. This partnership allows CHAMPS to capitalize on its unique strength in member account management while leveraging the extensive portfolio of collaborative agreements established by public sector GPO industry leader OMNIA Partners.

“CHAMPS maintains a more than 30-year relationship with Premier, Inc., a leading technology-driven healthcare improvement company and one of the largest healthcare GPOs in the country. We are thrilled to expand our GPO partnerships through this relationship with OMNIA,” said CHAMPS GPO Vice President Maria Summers. “Our account management model is truly our differentiator in the GPO market, and we are applying our expertise to expand savings opportunities and bring compliant, convenient purchasing to our shared member base with OMNIA Partners in the Midwest region.”

“This partnership is an exciting milestone for OMNIA Partners as we extend our impact in the Midwest,” said Todd Abner, Founder, CEO and President, OMNIA Partners. “We’re committed to making procurement seamless, efficient and, critically—strategic—for public and private sector agencies across the nation. By leveraging the collective purchasing power of thousands of entities, we deliver unparalleled value that enables our members to focus on what matters most. Together with CHAMPS, we’ll empower organizations to make the most of their time, budgets, and resources to better support the communities they serve.”

With this expansion, CHAMPS has enhanced its staff through the addition of a public sector team. Led by Justin Bernzweig, client services manager for the public sector, the six-member team is dedicated to serving CHAMPS-OMNIA members in the six-state region, including state and local government agencies, K-12 education, and higher education. Through this partnership with OMNIA, CHAMPS is able to provide access to competitively solicited, publicly awarded contracts to enhance convenience and savings for public sector members.

In the last 10 years, CHAMPS has doubled its number of member locations and has members in all 50 states. With more than $1.4 billion in purchasing volume and $50 million in savings for members each year, CHAMPS is one of the largest channel partners of both Premier and OMNIA Partners. CHAMPS’ strengths include a specialized and expertly trained team of account managers who have in-depth knowledge about their members’ areas of business, ranging from healthcare to private sector. CHAMPS account managers help their customers save time and money by identifying the purchasing agreements most useful to their organizations.

With a dedicated contracting and vendor relations team, CHAMPS maintains an ever-expanding portfolio of local agreements, including a strong slate of small, local and minority-owned businesses as well as custom agreements for GPO members. Rounding out the CHAMPS team are the field operations professionals who ensure a smooth transition for new GPO members and access to contract pricing.

“By joining forces with OMNIA Partners, we are advancing our mission to improve the overall well-being of our communities,” said Brian Lane, President & CEO of CHAMPS and its parent affiliate, The Center for Health Affairs. “For more than 100 years, we have been bringing together organizations in service to the greater good. The savings opportunities provided by our GPO free up funds that help organizations add jobs and invest in their communities. We are so pleased to be working side-by-side with OMNIA Partners to bring their compliant cooperative purchasing agreements and CHAMPS’ service model to this new facet of our membership.”

About OMNIA Partners

OMNIA Partners is the largest and most experienced purchasing organization for the public sector, private sector, nonprofit, real estate, and private equity markets. Its immense purchasing power and industry-leading suppliers have produced an extensive portfolio of procurement solutions and partnerships, making OMNIA Partners the most valued and trusted procurement resource for organizations nationwide. www.omniapartners.com

About CHAMPS Group Purchasing

With 25,000+ member locations across the United States, CHAMPS Group Purchasing provides access to significant savings and compliant purchasing in such product categories as medical & surgical supplies, foodservice, IT, wireless, office supplies and facility maintenance. The CHAMPS team supports private and public sector member supply chain initiatives with expertise in contract management, aggregation savings, supply chain technology, spend analytics, public sector compliance, and customized service. www.champsgpo.com