WELCOME!

New to HPS? Welcome!

Whether your organization is a new HPS Member, or you are new to your role and now need to learn about HPS, this page will help you get started.


WHAT IS HPS AND WHY SHOULD YOU CARE?

HPS is your organization's Group Purchasing Organization (GPO).

HPS negotiates great pricing and perks with vendors and manufacturers for essentially everything you need to run your business.

We do all your procurement and bidding work for you.

By being our Member, you have access to this great pricing and perks—saving your organization money and time, while elevating your offerings to those you serve.

Read more here: Who We Are & How We Work and here: FAQ



HOW WE COMMUNICATE WITH YOU

We communicate to you mainly through your Region Manager, e-blasts and/or hard copy publications.

  • You may want to ask your IT department for help in "whitelisting" our email domain "@hpsgpo.com" and "@hpsnet.com." This will help ensure our emails reach you. 
    • You may also want to check your junk/spam folder to make sure none of our emails have already fallen in there. (You'll want to move them to your inbox.)
    • Many HPS e-blasts come from Scott Andersen, [email protected]. Be sure to check your junk/spam folder from time to time to make sure his aren't missing your inbox.


CONTRACTS WITH VENDORS/MANUFACTURERS

See our latest list of contracts with vendors/manufacturers: List of Current Vendors.

  • Note: Some of these contracts may not be available to you because of class of trade or region.


LETTERS OF PARTICIPATION

Many of our contracts require you to submit a Letter of Participation (LOP).

  • The LOP is a simple form that lets specific vendors/manufacturers know that you are an HPS Member and so are entitled to the special pricing and perks we have with them.
    • You can find a contract's LOP on our Member site (in the contract's pop-up window), or listed in the Monthly Report
    • Most of our dietary-related contracts are through Gordon Food Service and do not require an LOP. 
    • Your main HPS contact, your Region Manager, can help you with LOPs.

WHO CAN I SPEAK WITH ABOUT HPS?

Each Member has its own Region Manager. Your HPS Representative can assist you with all your questions. To find out who yours is, simply email [email protected] or call 800-632-4572.

  • You will also see the name and contact information for your Region Manager near the top of our monthly e-blast, the Monthly Report, and some other e-blasts from our Communications department.


COMMUNICATIONS CHANNELS

  • The Monthly Report e-blast is a must read for you to get the most value from your HPS membership.
    • The Monthly Report details on all new contracts, changes/updates to contracts, specials/rebates, and our Value-Added Offerings.
  • The Bottom Line magazine (both hard copy and e-blast) focuses on educational stories related to our various offerings. 
  • The FFE publication features products available through our Furniture, Finishes & Equipment Value-Added Program. It also highlights projects and information from our Interior Design offering.
  • Of course, we also issue e-blasts on a number of topics, however, we will only send information we genuinely believe is relevant to you.


MEMBER WEBSITE

Looking to purchase something specific, check our Member website first.

We keep our contracts and all supporting materials (Letters of Participation, price lists, product flyers, etc.) on our Member site, which requires you to create an account and log in.

  • Anyone in your organization, especially those who purchase anything, is encouraged to set up an account. 
  • It could take a day to process on our end, but to get started read this: HPS Member-only Website.
  • If you have challenges, just email [email protected] or call 800-632-4572.


VALUE-ADDED OFFERINGS

In addition to our contract portfolio, we offer a variety of Value-Added tools and programs to make your life easier.

Furniture, Finishes & Equipment Program (FFE)

  • Discounts on furniture, flooring and furnishings, plus food service equipment, from more than 800 manufacturers
  • FFE Value Promise
  • Free with membership

Contract Analysis Tool (CAT)

  • Track your dietary spend: Online reports include velocity, manufacturer usage and rebates
  • Populated nightly with GFS invoice data
  • CAT identifies if an item is on-program or off-program
  • Free with membership

Menu Planner

  • Creating and Sharing recipes and daily menus
  • Calculating price and nutritional values
  • Automatically generate your shopping list
  • Free with membership

PO Advantage

  • Manage all your POs, invoices and supplier payments—as well as make purchases—on one breakthrough platform.
  • Monthly fee applies

Interior Design

  • Through collaboration with the Member in the design process, HPS interior designers apply creative and technical solutions tailored to fit their needs and goals, from a single room to an entire building.
  • Services available to Members in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio
  • Design fee applies

Procurement Documentation

  • On our Member site, you will find complete Procurement documentation you will need when your State Agencies perform required Procurement Reviews, per USDA
  • Documentation is broken out by school year and state
  • Free with membership