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A Brief History…
Established by Cardinal Francis Spellman in 1941 as a separately incorporated not-for-profit entity, Institutional Commodity Services (ICS) is a central purchasing office of school/office supplies, food management, and operational services for all organizations associated with the Archdioceses of New York and Newark, and the Dioceses of Albany, Bridgeport, Brooklyn, and Camden.
ICS is also a founding member of Catholic Purchasing Services (CPS) – a national organization that serves over 40,000 Catholic entities nationwide. Our Executive Director is on the CPS Board of Directors and our association with CPS has opened up our relationships and access to over 350 key vendors/suppliers that enable us to provide significant discounts on the quality products and services needed by the audiences we serve.
It is estimated that the schools, parishes and institutions that use ICS for their product/services purchasing are able to, collectively, realize savings in excess of $3M-$4M annually. In addition these organizations are able to benefit from significant annual savings on their heating oil and electricity cost due to the success of ICS’s contract negotiations with suppliers and the implementation of other energy initiatives.