[9230] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Re: more on Internet buying coop
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Tim Salo)
Fri Dec 24 00:31:16 1993
Date: Thu, 23 Dec 93 23:30:35 -0600
From: tjs@msc.edu (Tim Salo)
To: schoff@psi.com
Cc: com-priv@psi.com
> Date: Thu, 23 Dec 1993 12:23:37 +0000
> From: "Martin L. Schoffstall" <schoff@psi.com>
> To: Miles R Fidelman <fidelman@civicnet.org>, com-priv@psi.com,
> communet@nysernet.org, nii_agenda@civicnet.org
> Cc: adamfast@u.washington.edu, pozar@kumr.lns.com
> Subject: Re: more on Internet buying coop
>
> The concept of a co-op of course is not new. I've heard it since at least
> 1990. However, there is an alternative way to look at your model:
>
> - you are espousing the GSA model of buying computers ala DeskTop I,II,III,
> these are not considered successes because....
> - generally co-ops work well in low change environments: books, farm
> instruments, cars, grain etc It is not that co-ops don't deal in things that
> change quickly but not 100% of their inventory
>
> In reading some of the text below it reminds me of some of the NSFNet 1980's
> rhetoric, ANS business plan etc
>
> Take care not to be Overcome By Events (OBE'ed) as above
I am not sure I understand your point.
Could not a buying co-op simply negotiate a deal of the form: we [the co-op]
agree to designate a preferred provider, if the provider agrees to provide
co-op members a specific discount off of list price?
Is NYSERNET the classic Internet buying co-op? (How is NYSERNET different
than a buying co-op?)
-tjs
