ESSENDANT - PACE Program FAQs

Name: Office Supplies, Furniture, Janitorial Supplies, Food Service Supplies & Equipment

Contract: #P00262

Award Term: 01/01/2025 - 12/31/2027  With 4, 1-year Extension Options

There is no minimum sales requirement for the reseller or PACE end-user member.

PACE welcomes state agencies, cities/counties/municipalities, special districts (airports/housing authorities/water districts), K-12 schools (public/private/charter), colleges and universities (public and private), charitable non-profit organizations, and churches.

No, there is no fee for participation in the PACE program for PACE end-user members.

There is no enrollment or annual membership fee for the reseller. There are administrative fees based on annual sales to PACE end-user members. The reseller administrative fee structure is outlined in the Essendant-PACE Deal Sheet.

End-user enrollment is quick and easy via the PACE website:

Membership - PACE Purchasing Cooperative (esc20.net)

Customizable marketing materials are available online:

Essendant-PACE Public Sector Contract – Solutions Central (ussco.com)

Upon enrollment in the PACE program and returning the signed Essendant-PACE Deal Sheet, reseller pricing will be available in ICAPS under your designated PACE account(s). End-consumer pricing will be available via ICAPS on price plan PC8 core items and PC9 non-core items (“Consumer 1 Price” field) and available quarterly moving forward. 

Ceiling pricing for PACE end-consumers has been established for core and non-core items. End-consumer pricing may be offered lower than the ceiling price but must not exceed the established ceiling pricing detailed in the end-consumer price file.

Both reseller pricing and PACE end-user pricing is updated quarterly. Pricing for the upcoming quarter is available in ICAPS 10 business days before the start of the new quarter.

There are a few factors that impact selling margins. Customer purchase trends, operational expenses and the competitive landscape will all have an influence. The bigger the share of wallet you receive of your customer’s purchases, the more balanced the product mix will be.

Based on feedback from long-time authorized resellers of the contract, we have been told that the pricing is market competitive and that the overall program is easy to understand for end-users. The ability to adjust pricing to meet market competition provides a lot of flexibility.

Yes, the PACE contract meets all competitive bidding requirements.

Yes, a copy of the roster is provided as part of the welcome kit that dealers will receive after signing up for the program.

As outlined in the Essendant PACE Deal Sheet, quarterly reporting of total sales at the member entity level is due to Essendant 10 business days after the completion of each quarter.

There’s an administration fee of 3.5% on all PACE sales. The administration fee is billed quarterly directly to the PACE Reseller.

Yes, PACE end-users are eligible for an annual volume rebate of 0.5% on all sales over $100,000.00. A minimum sales amount of $100,000.00 must be reached to qualify for the 0.5% volume rebate. Rebates will be paid by check by the PACE Cooperative to the PACE end-user.