You can often get a discount for Apple products through State of Alaska and Alaska Department of Education and Early Development contracts. For example, as of October 1, 2016, an iPad Mini 2 is $269 at the Apple Store; it is $259 through the contract website.
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Find other equipment and supplies available through the State contracts at http://doa.alaska.gov/dgs/polisubs/.
Note: Alaska libraries of all types are eligible to use these contracts based on the following Alaska Statutes:
SEC. 36.30.790. DEFINITIONS.
1) “cooperative purchasing” means procurement conducted by, or on behalf of, more than one public procurement unit, or by a public procurement unit with an external procurement activity;
2) “external procurement activity” means a buying organization not located in this state that, if located in this state, would qualify as a public procurement unit; an agency of the United States is an external procurement activity;
3) “local public procurement unit” means a municipality or other subdivision of the state or other entity that expends public funds for the procurement of supplies, services, professional services, and construction, and any nonprofit corporation operating a charitable hospital;
4) “public procurement unit” means either a local public procurement unit or a state public procurement unit;