How TIPS-USA Membership Makes Buying Play Mart’s Grade School Playground Equipment Easier

Buying grade school playground equipment for a public or private K-12 school usually means writing specifications, running a competitive bid, and waiting months for the process to close. Play Mart and its Nature of Early Play line skip that step for schools that use TIPS-USA, a purchasing cooperative that has already vetted vendors and pricing. Both companies are awarded vendors under TIPS-USA, so districts can buy directly without running their own bid.

This post covers what TIPS-USA is, how Play Mart’s vendor award helps your district move faster, where the savings and reduced risk come from, and the steps to place an order.

What Is TIPS-USA?

TIPS, The Interlocal Purchasing System, is a purchasing cooperative run by the Region 8 Education Service Center in Pittsburg, Texas. TIPS runs its own competitive solicitation, then opens the winning contracts to member organizations nationwide.

Membership is free and comes with no obligation to buy. Eligible members include:

  • Public and private K-12 schools, school districts, and charter schools
  • Colleges and universities
  • Cities, counties, and municipalities
  • Park and recreation departments
  • State agencies and libraries
  • Churches and qualifying nonprofits
  • Emergency service districts and other public entities

Once your district joins, you can buy directly from an awarded vendor like Play Mart through the TIPS contract, no separate bid required for covered goods and services.

What This Means for Your District

  • Faster purchasing decisions, without a full RFP cycle
  • Less work for your business office
  • Pricing that has already been competitively solicited
  • Documentation that supports audit and compliance needs, including EDGAR requirements for federal grant-funded purchases
  • More time to plan your playground project — site, budget, and timeline — instead of managing a bid

Most playground projects run four to six months from planning to installation. Removing the procurement step from that timeline helps keep the rest of the project on schedule.

Play Mart’s TIPS-USA Award

Play Mart is an awarded vendor under TIPS contract 24070201 for playground equipment and related services. You can view the award on the TIPS-USA site.

To use it, reference contract 24070201 when you request a quote. Purchase orders and quotes typically go through TIPS by email at tipspo@tips-usa.com, which keeps a clear record for anyone who needs to confirm the purchase later.

What You Can Buy Through the Contract

The TIPS award covers Play Mart’s full line of commercial playground equipment and outdoor products, including:

  • Commercial and inclusive playground equipment
  • Outdoor classroom furniture
  • Benches, picnic tables, and shade structures
  • Site amenities such as trash receptacles and bike racks
  • Nature of Early Play equipment for infants through age five

For an elementary school setting, elementary school playground equipment typically includes climbing features, slides, and interactive panels sized for students ages 5 to 12. Inclusive play equipment serves children with different abilities across a range of ages, with ADA compliance built in.

Most Play Mart products are made from Recycled Structural Plastic (RSP™), manufactured in-house in Somerset, Kentucky from recycled milk jugs. RSP does not rot, splinter, or need repainting, which cuts down on the maintenance your facilities staff has to handle. Equipment is tested to ASTM, CPSC, and IPEMA standards for safety and durability.

Where Grade School Playground Savings Come From

  • National volume pricing that a single district could not negotiate on its own
  • Staff hours saved by skipping specification writing, advertising, and bid evaluation
  • Faster timelines, which can mean installation over summer break instead of during the school year
  • Compatibility with many federal funding sources, including ESSER and other Title grant dollars, when purchases are documented correctly

Some of the biggest grade school playground savings show up after installation. Durable, low-maintenance materials hold up to weather and heavy use without frequent repair, which stretches the replacement cycle and lowers the total cost of ownership over time. The surface under the equipment matters too — compliant impact-absorbing surfacing, such as rubber or engineered wood fiber, protects that investment and helps reduce injury risk.

Lower Risk, Not Just Lower Cost

A low-bid process can reward the cheapest price even when it is not the best long-term choice. TIPS awards weigh price alongside quality and vendor capability, so some of that vetting is done before you ever request a quote.

Using the contract correctly — noting it on your purchase order and going through TIPS channels — creates a clean record for auditors, which matters most when federal funds are involved. TIPS contracts are structured to meet competitive bidding requirements in most states.

Safety stays central to the process. Minimizing hazards such as falls and sharp edges, meeting ASTM and CPSC standards, and keeping clear sightlines for teacher supervision during recess are baseline requirements for any commercial playground equipment purchase, not extras.

How to Get Started

  1. Register for free membership at tips-usa.com, if your district is not already a member.
  2. Contact Play Mart and reference TIPS contract 24070201 when requesting a quote, sharing your project goals and contact details.
  3. Review the quote to confirm the proposed layout fits your site, supports class-size use, and handles recess traffic, then issue a purchase order that clearly notes it is a TIPS purchase.
  4. Submit the required documentation to TIPS to complete the transaction.

A Practical Path to Installed Playground Equipment

Play Mart and Nature of Early Play have built playgrounds and outdoor learning spaces for schools for more than four decades. A well-designed playground supports active play, climbing, and social interaction during the school day, helping students build gross motor strength, coordination, and other skills. The 7 Principles of Inclusive Playground Design® guide equipment choices that serve children of all abilities across a range of ages.

TIPS-USA membership removes one more step between your district and an installed play space. Whether you are planning your first commercial playground equipment purchase or replacing aging equipment, the contract gives administrators, teachers, and parents a faster, more transparent way to get there.

Visit playmart.com or natureofearlyplay.com to see current product lines, or reach out directly to ask about TIPS pricing for your next project.

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Testimonials

"Play Mart Inc. is truly the company you want to do business with when looking for commercial grade playground equipment.

Lesson learned: not all playground equipment is compatible with other equipment. Our HOA had a Play Mart set that was purchased in 2005 it was needing to be refurbished. Ryan Williams contacted me right away asking what he could do to help. Records hadn’t been kept so I was having difficulty finding what we had and what we could do. After sending pictures from my phone, Ryan took over giving us the original design blueprint! A detailed report on what we had and what needed to be replaced was soon in my hands.

We were elated to learn that some of our stuff was still under warranty! Options of what could be done and what must be done to ensure the safety of our children were outstanding! We were so pleased that the nightmare of searching for playground equipment was now over! The equipment is made in the USA too.

While we wait for delivery we can’t thank Ryan Williams enough for the care he took in making sure that our playground is safe! They also offer installation if you need that! Everything ships with detailed installation instructions like a picture book! Thank You Play Mart and Ryan for all of your professional help!"

Jeanette Bowen

"I'm not sure whether the kids would have caused damage to the playset at some point, but the playground survived the hurricane. Your RSP™ is amazing."

Tim H. Gateway Services Community Development District

Ft Myers, FL

“I would just like to let you know Play Mart did a wonderful job on the packing/shipping and installation instructions. We have installed almost every manufacturer in the market and your company is the most installation friendly we have done in years.”

Playground Installation Crew

Kansas

“The contractor who assembled the set told me it was his first experience with recycled material in play sets and he was very impressed. He also told me it was very well packaged and user friendly for assembly.

It looks first class and blends in well with the wooded area surrounding our church. We like the fact we can accommodate so many kids with a set this size.”

Bruce P.

Topeka, KS

“This is cooler than big kids stuff!”

5 Year Old Child

Topeka, KS

“Congratulations on your extensive and impressive exhibit of your playground products. I was most impressed. If I were a child, I would spend a lot of time in the music section of your marvelous array of enticing things to do. But on the other hand, I could easily be enticed to the many other play opportunities for play and learning.

It is blatantly obvious that you have put a lot of careful thought into developing your engaging products for children. Congratulations and thank you for the tour of your exhibit at the trade show.”

Matthew Evans, FASLA Senior Landscape Architect & Horticulturist

US Capitol, Washington, DC

“It gives me great pleasure to be able to write a letter on behalf of Play Mart, Inc. On two different occasions in recent years, Play Mart constructed playground equipment on our school property. Play Mart representatives went out of their way to meet with the school playground committee so that we fully understand our options and the cost. We have been delighted with the equipment that Play Mart representatives recommended for our students. It is age appropriate and safe. We have had to make two minor repairs, which were quickly taken care of by the company.
In the process building the playground, we were very interested in using recycled materials. Availability of this via Play Mart was a big reason why we choose this company. Play Mart worked with us in obtaining exactly what we wanted. We were very pleased with the construction timeline and the value for the price. When we wanted to add more equipment, Play Mart was most helpful and made the changes cost effective for us. Our students spend many happy hours enjoying the playground.

We have been very happy with the entire project. It is with great satisfaction I write this letter on behalf of the company and their employees.”

Sister Laverne K., School Principal

Newark, DE

“We continue to be so pleased with our playscape! As soon as we open the door in preparation for outside play, the children head straight for the playscape. The teachers so enjoy watching the students play some of their favorite games which include: Pirate Ship (they all crowd on top of the playscape sailing off for adventure of the high seas), Shark! (similar to pirate ship but they all stand on top screaming “shark”), and Ice cream shop (sellers stand under the playscape and deliver ice cream cones to customers on the other side of the ‘counter’).
We thank you again for working so closely with us as we designed this safe and sturdy play area to fit the needs of our Nursery School. It has been one year and it still looks great, blending beautifully into our historic town green. Both our school and our community look forward to many, many more years of fun!”

Laurie H., Daycare Director

Washington, CT

“Our entire church is excited with the equipment and especially glad we saved 32,226 milk jugs from a landfill. We love the look of wood without the problems of termites and splintering.”

Joyce W.

Jacksonville, AR

“I wanted to drop you a quick note to commend you on your subcontractor’s performance…The combination of your quality equipment and the installation by Hammer Down has provided the staff, children and Marine Corp with an excellent play facility. The installation and application of the equipment has turned out superbly.  Hammer Down, Paul and his entire crew were pleasant to work with, knowledgeable of the equipment and codes and had an uncommon willingness to work well with us and other contractors. I commend them for an excellent install and terrific attitude.

As for the poured in place rubber; again a superb product paired with a great subcontractor. Clean Play, Allen and his crew provided a level of work that would be hard to surpass. The installation went smoothly and quickly. I appreciate their attention to detail and cleanliness. Though we may have stayed late, I never have an issue doing that for a contractor that works as hard and diligently as they did each and every day. There performance was outstanding and one I would look forward to seeing again.

I appreciate all of your help and you providing us with such high quality subcontractors. Thank you.”

Mike R., Superintendent

Sauer, Inc.