Which statement best describes piggybacking?

Which statement best describes piggybacking?

• A. A form of intergovernmental contracting where a smaller entity uses pricing and terms of a contract formed by a larger entity
• B. A method to force all agencies to bid separately
• C. A practice to create duplicate contracts for each entity
• D. An approach that prohibits use of existing contracts by others

Answer: (A)

Piggybacking is when a government purchasing entity uses a contract that another entity has already awarded, taking the same pricing, terms, and conditions and simply issuing its own order against that contract. This lets the smaller agency benefit from the larger entity’s negotiated discounts and streamlined terms without running a full new competitive bid. It’s a common practice in intergovernmental or cooperative purchasing, designed to save time and money while ensuring established contract terms are used. This description fits the option that describes piggybacking as using pricing and terms from a contract formed by a larger entity. The other ideas—mandating separate bids, creating duplicate contracts, or prohibiting use of existing contracts—do not reflect piggybacking.

Piggybacking is when a government purchasing entity uses a contract that another entity has already awarded, taking the same pricing, terms, and conditions and simply issuing its own order against that contract. This lets the smaller agency benefit from the larger entity’s negotiated discounts and streamlined terms without running a full new competitive bid. It’s a common practice in intergovernmental or cooperative purchasing, designed to save time and money while ensuring established contract terms are used.

This description fits the option that describes piggybacking as using pricing and terms from a contract formed by a larger entity. The other ideas—mandating separate bids, creating duplicate contracts, or prohibiting use of existing contracts—do not reflect piggybacking.