Cat awarded City of Tucson, National IPA cooperative purchasing contract Words: Sharon Albright/Public/News/20120704133000-1.jpg" width="600" height="338" border="0" alt="Caterpillar has been awarded a contract by the City of Tucson." />Caterpillar has been awarded a contract by the City of Tucson.Caterpillar has been awarded a contract by the City of Tucson that will be marketed nationally by the National Intergovernmental Purchasing Alliance (National IPA) to supply construction equipment and related services to current and future National IPA participants. The award is the result of a national competitive bid for supplying “Heavy, Equipment, Parts, Accessories, Supplies and Related Services.” The contract allows National IPA participants - governmental organizations, such as municipalities, and educational institutions - to purchase Cat® products and services at nationally leveraged contract pricing without the duplication of the competitive bid process. National IPA participants will have access to state-of-the-art equipment and unparalleled service through their local Cat dealers. “Having this contract supported through the Cat dealer network was key in Caterpillar’s ability to exhibit our commitment to providing unparalleled customer service during the solicitation evaluation process,” says Jason Walker, Governmental Sales Support Consultant from the Global Construction and Infrastructure Division. “As such, customers will not only benefit from the advantages of using this contract, but will continue to get the local support from their Cat dealer who at the end of the day truly knows the customer best.” The national contract award was presented and evaluated based upon bid responsiveness, product quality, customer service and the ability to carry out a nationwide contract-selling program. The City of Tucson in conjunction with the National IPA awarded contract #120377 to Caterpillar effective May 2, 2012 through May 1, 2017 (one year with 4 one-year renewals).