Capstone Headwaters advised TapRoot Partners, Inc. (TapRoot Partners) on the sale of its subsidiary Communities Program Management, LLC (CPM), the organization that staffs and manages the operations of the U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance (U.S. Communities), to OMNIA Partners, a portfolio company of TA Associates. CPM has managed the U.S. Communities program since its inception and will continue to do so going forward.
The U.S. Communities program provides world-class procurement resources and solutions to local and state government agencies, school districts (K-12), higher education, and nonprofits. Participants have access to a broad range of competitively-solicited contracts with best-in-class national suppliers.
OMNIA Partners is a national group purchasing organization that includes four subsidiaries: National IPA, Prime Advantage, Corporate United, and now, U.S. Communities.
Since 1988, TapRoot Partners has worked with government, the private sector and nonprofits to provide management for both procurement and finance organizations. As a management company, TapRoot Partners has operated the day-to-day logistics and direction of industry-leading programs while delivering the highest level of service. TapRoot Partners has saved hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars, provided financing for public-benefit projects, and delivered operating efficiencies to public and private organizations.
U.S. Communities is a leading national government purchasing cooperative, providing world class government procurement resources and solutions to local and state government agencies, school districts (K-12), higher education institutions, and nonprofit organizations. U.S. Communities was founded in 1996 in partnership with several National Sponsors. Today, those National Sponsors include the Association of School Business Officials, the National Association of Counties, the National League of Cities, the United States Conference of Mayors, and the National Governors Association. More than 55,000 registered agencies, education institutions and nonprofits utilize U.S. Communities contracts to procure more than $2.7 billion in products and services annually.
Gerald Burke, CEO and co-founder of TapRoot Partners, will be retiring from involvement with U.S. Communities in conjunction with the sale. Says Burke, “We were incredibly gratified to find such an excellent partner who will carry U.S. Communities forward. I am confident this deal will be excellent for our employees, U.S. Communities suppliers and participating public agencies. OMNIA Partners shares the same dedication to delivering value to public agencies that lies at the foundation of the U.S. Communities program.”
Burke Smith, Managing Director at Capstone Headwaters, commented
“What a pleasure it was to work with the capable, professional folks at TapRoot Partners and CPM on this transformative transaction. The U.S. Communities program stands as a unique value-added supply chain partner for participating public agencies, particularly with the growing role of e-commerce in all aspects of B2B purchasing. We look forward to watching the further evolution of the now-combined offerings.”