Introduction
Public agencies in Pennsylvania and across the Mid-Atlantic routinely spend three to six months — sometimes longer — navigating the procurement process for instrumentation projects. Vendor qualification questionnaires, RFP development and publication, bid evaluation committees, board approvals, and contract execution create a procurement timeline that often exceeds the time required for the actual instrument installation and commissioning work. For utilities facing urgent compliance deadlines, failing instrumentation, or time-limited funding windows, this procurement friction can be the difference between a successful project and a missed opportunity.
Two procurement mechanisms — COSTARS cooperative purchasing and NMSDC Minority Business Enterprise certification — can dramatically compress this timeline for public agencies working with qualified vendors. Understanding how to leverage these mechanisms effectively is a practical skill for utility managers, procurement officers, and consulting engineers who specify instrumentation for public clients.
COSTARS: Pennsylvania's Cooperative Purchasing Program
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's COSTARS (Cooperative Sourcing to Achieve Reductions in Spending) program establishes pre-competed contracts with qualified vendors across numerous product and service categories. State agencies, municipalities, school districts, counties, authorities, councils of government, and other eligible entities can purchase directly from COSTARS contractors without conducting separate competitive procurement processes.
Emergent Energy Solutions holds COSTARS Contract #SU-205, which covers instrumentation and energy services. This means that any eligible Pennsylvania public entity can issue a purchase order for instrumentation services — including specification, procurement, installation, SCADA integration, and commissioning — directly under our COSTARS contract, without an RFP.
The practical benefits are significant. Procurement timelines compress from months to weeks. Administrative costs associated with RFP development, advertising, evaluation, and award are eliminated. The competitive procurement requirement is satisfied by the COSTARS contract itself, which was competitively awarded by the Commonwealth. And the pre-approved pricing structure provides cost certainty for project budgeting.
For utilities with SRF or IIJA-funded projects, COSTARS procurement satisfies the competitive purchasing requirements that accompany federal and state funding. This is particularly valuable when instrumentation is a component of a larger capital project with a fixed construction schedule — delays in instrument procurement can hold up commissioning and closeout of the entire project.
NMSDC MBE Certification: Diversity Procurement Advantages
The National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) is the leading certification body for minority-owned businesses in the United States. NMSDC certification requires rigorous verification of minority ownership, operational control, and business legitimacy — making it a trusted credential for procurement organizations seeking qualified diverse suppliers.
Emergent Energy Solutions' NMSDC MBE certification provides procurement advantages in several contexts. Federally funded projects — including those using IIJA, SRF, FEMA, or HUD funding — typically require good-faith efforts to engage MBE/DBE firms. Working with an NMSDC-certified instrumentation partner helps utilities demonstrate compliance with these requirements.
Fortune 500 engineering firms with supplier diversity programs can count Emergent Energy's services toward their diversity spend targets. This is increasingly relevant as major AE firms seek diverse subcontractors for municipal water and wastewater design-build projects.
State and municipal diversity procurement programs in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland recognize NMSDC certification for MBE participation tracking and reporting. Utilities with adopted diversity procurement policies can engage Emergent Energy as a qualified MBE vendor.
Practical Steps: How to Use COSTARS and MBE for Your Next Project
For utility managers and procurement officers, the process for leveraging COSTARS and MBE certifications is straightforward. Verify your entity's eligibility for COSTARS purchasing through the Pennsylvania DGS website. Contact Emergent Energy to discuss your project scope and receive a COSTARS-compliant quotation. Issue a purchase order referencing COSTARS Contract #SU-205. For projects with MBE participation requirements, document Emergent Energy's NMSDC certification in your compliance reporting.
For consulting engineers specifying instrumentation on public projects, including a COSTARS procurement pathway in the project specifications gives your client a faster, pre-approved route to instrument procurement that can keep the project on schedule.
How Emergent Energy Can Help
At Emergent Energy, we have structured our business specifically to serve public utilities and their engineering partners through streamlined procurement. Our COSTARS contract and NMSDC certification are not just credentials — they are practical tools that we use every day to help clients get instrumentation projects moving faster.
Whether you need a single flow meter replacement or a comprehensive plant-wide instrumentation upgrade, we can provide a COSTARS-compliant scope and quotation within days. Contact us at 215-645-7141 or visit emergentenergy.us/contact to discuss procurement options for your next instrumentation project.