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How CoreTrust and Deal IQ are boosting IT contract savings. August 21, 2026 James Hallock, CEO of CoreTrust, reveals how partnering with Deal IQ tie-up to slash IT contract costs, alongside expanded ties with Staples, Ramp & Coupa CoreTrust, a premier group purchasing organisation (GPO) which manages US$7bn in aggregated spend, is working alongside Deal IQ, a leader when it comes to final-stage negotiation services for enterprise IT contracts. This partnership will see Deal IQ integrated into CoreTrust's IT procurement offering - helping to expand its savings capabilities within indirect spend, providing members and private equity partners with an agile, high-velocity mechanism to optimise complex enterprise software contracts and renewals amidst accelerating IT cost pressure. A new layer of licensing complexity. The rollout of AI features across major platforms is seeing an added layer into licensing complexity - and enterprise software pricing has become more opaque as a result. CoreTrust say this includes list prices rarely reflecting what's negotiable, discount structures shifting from deal to deal and vendor incentives shifting in ways that aren't visible to buyers. Plus, with benchmarking data on its own only being able to show what others have paid, if a company wants to close the gap, negotiators are required - ones who know how vendors build and defend their final offers. "Our members count on us to bring them practical, high-impact ways to reduce costs and create value across every category of indirect spend," says James Hallock, CEO of CoreTrust. "Enterprise software purchases and renewals are complex, high stakes and time-consuming. Partnering with Deal IQ gives our members instant access to specialised negotiation expertise at the final stage of a deal, helping them secure the right pricing and terms without adding friction or overhead." * CoreTrust manages US$7bn in aggregated spend * CoreTrust holds 125+ pre-negotiated supplier contracts * Deal IQ negotiators secure an extra 13% in savings on average post-BAFO, rising to 15%+ in some cases * CoreTrust is a premier strategic group purchasing organisation for more than 4,000 impact-driven members * Average savings of 20% Extra savings at the final stage. Even when brought in after a vendor's best and final offer, Deal IQ's negotiators typically secure an extra 13% in savings on average, sometimes rising to 15% or more, on enterprise IT contracts. The service operates on a risk-free, success-based model with no upfront cost and consistently delivers finalised contractual terms in under two weeks. "Partnering with CoreTrust allows us to bring our negotiation expertise and intelligence directly to an expanded network of growth-minded organizations and private equity portfolio companies," adds Aaron Kotick, Founder and Managing Director at Deal IQ. "CoreTrust's deep relationships across its member base, paired with our specialized process, ensures members get maximum bottom-line value from their IT contracts without delaying contract execution." This partnership underscores CoreTrust's ongoing commitment to expanding member value, pairing its 125+ pre-negotiated supplier contracts with specialised negotiation expertise that delivers measurable, risk-free savings. That commitment reaches across CoreTrust's full network, including BuyQ's 4,000+ charter and private schools, where software and technology costs make up a growing share of already tight, mission-driven budgets - making Deal IQ's risk-free model a natural fit with the work CoreTrust already does on their behalf. This is just one of many partnerships CoreTrust has forged. "Enterprise software purchases and renewals are complex, high stakes and time-consuming " James Hallock,CEO, CoreTrust CoreTrust's partnership. Staples, for example, is marking 15 years as a strategic partner. Staples serves as CoreTrust's sole-source provider for office products, paper and manufacturer-supported janitorial and sanitation supplies. CoreTrust added roughly 500 new business members in 2024 with growth accelerating further this year, while Staples noted that nearly half of its current CoreTrust-member business comes from these core categories, with plans to expand into adjacent areas like Breakroom, Technology, Furniture and Print and Promotional Products. Ramp, the AI-driven financial operations platform, was added to CoreTrust's supplier portfolio, giving CoreTrust members access to tools for expense management, bill payments, travel, procurement and treasury within a single platform. The partnership is positioned as a way to help members cut costs, gain real-time financial visibility and automate manual finance workflows. "Members get maximum bottom-line value from their IT contracts without delaying contract execution " Aaron Kotick,Founder and Managing Director, Deal IQ CoreTrust has expanded its strategic partnership with Coupa, bringing Coupa's full AI-native total spend management platform and advanced analytics into the CoreTrust ecosystem. The expansion follows an earlier-2025 collaboration that enhanced Coupa Advantage with CoreTrust's supplier contracts, and builds this into a three-phase partnership: Phase 1 (already announced): CoreTrust doubled the pre-vetted suppliers available through the Coupa Advantage Program. Phase 2 (new): CoreTrust members get access to pre-negotiated, discounted packages of Coupa's design-to-pay platform, skipping lengthy RFP processes. Phase 3 (new): Coupa's analytics capabilities are embedded into CoreTrust's offering at no extra cost, helping members classify spend and spot savings opportunities. Together, the phases give CoreTrust members an end-to-end procurement solution, from spend analysis through purchasing to optimisation - aimed particularly at upper mid-market and private equity-backed companies wanting to modernise procurement without heavy RFP overhead. Company Portals

BuyQ nearly doubles purchasing portfolio for charter and private schools In six months through CoreTrust partnership. Accelerated deployment of curated supplier partnerships through CoreTrust provides charter and private schools with enterprise-level buying power. NASHVILLE, Tenn.-(BUSINESS WIRE)-BuyQ, a leading group purchasing organization serving more than 4,000 charter and private schools nationwide, today announced new supplier categories, nearly doubling its category offerings to its charter school members in just six months following its acquisition by CoreTrust. This expansion gives schools access to best-in-class pricing, trusted suppliers, and innovative solutions across critical operational categories and we are just getting started. Share BuyQ's expanded portfolio provides schools access to an expanded group of trusted supplier partners to simplify purchasing, reduce administrative burden, mitigate cost and enable schools to focus on fulfilling their core mission of education toward their student population. * Workplace technology and managed print solutions through DEX Imaging * Fire & life safety services with Cintas * Managed food service & food products through Foodbuy * HR & background screening through First Advantage * Spend / expense management & bill pay technology with Ramp The expanded portfolio delivers on the commitment that CoreTrust made when it acquired BuyQ in November 2025 - to invest in and expand the products and services available to BuyQ's charter and private schools. Through the expanded supplier network, schools now have access to a wider range of competitively sourced contracts and operational solutions that dramatically simplify the procurement process while helping to stretch budgets. "Our mission has always been to help schools maximize every dollar they spend," said Daniel Casselli, President of BuyQ. "As schools continue to face increasing financial and operational pressures, we're excited to leverage the scale and supplier network CoreTrust has unlocked for us to provide access to even more high-quality solutions that help K12 leaders operate more efficiently. This expansion gives schools access to best-in-class pricing, trusted suppliers, and innovative solutions across critical operational categories and we are just getting started." Among the new offerings is an expanded program through DEX Imaging, one of the nation's largest independent providers of workplace technology solutions. "DEX Imaging is excited to partner with BuyQ and CoreTrust to expand access to industry-leading managed print and workplace technology solutions for charter and private schools nationwide," said Chance Dunleavy, Executive Vice President, Major Accounts at DEX Imaging. "Schools are under increasing pressure to do more with limited resources, and together we can help educational institutions simplify print management, improve operational efficiency, and deliver cost savings of at least 20% while allowing schools to redirect valuable time and resources back to supporting teachers and students." "When we acquired BuyQ, we committed to investing in the business and expanding what it delivers to its member schools. In the first six months, we nearly doubled its category offerings," said Donna Donato, Chief Portfolio Officer of CoreTrust. "This is exactly the kind of value we set out to create for BuyQ's charter school member base, and is a model we intend to bring to other communities over time." The portfolio expansion reflects BuyQ's ongoing commitment to identifying solutions that address the evolving operational needs of schools. In addition to its group purchasing contracts, BuyQ continues to provide procurement consulting services that help school leaders make data-driven decisions and maximize their financial resources. By expanding access to critical operational categories at scale, BuyQ is helping schools consolidate purchasing, improve efficiency, and realize greater value from every dollar spent - redirecting more resources to where they matter most: their students. About BuyQ BuyQ is the leading group purchasing organization serving charter and private schools across the United States. Founded in 2013, BuyQ helps more than 4,000 schools access better pricing and terms on essential goods and services by leveraging collective purchasing power. BuyQ also provides consulting services that help schools improve procurement processes, increase savings, and better serve students and communities. Learn more at www.buyq.org. About CoreTrust Founded in 2006, CoreTrust is a premier Group Purchasing Organization (GPO) leveraging over $8 billion in annual purchasing power to secure price stability and cost savings on indirect spend for more than 4,000 members. Along with its proprietary digital marketplace (CXP), CoreTrust provides pre-negotiated contracts across key operational categories - including corporate services, facilities, technology, logistics, and more - delivering curated supplier solutions and actionable insights at no cost to members. Learn more at www.coretrustpg.com and follow us on LinkedIn. More News From CoreTrust NASHVILLE, Tenn.-( BUSINESS WIRE )-CoreTrust, a prominent commercial group purchasing organization (GPO) announced today that Mahesh Shah has been appointed as the new CEO of the company. Mahesh comes with deep technical expertise and proven experience helping companies strategically scale growth and optimize internal and external operations to reduce costs and increase profits. "We are pleased that Mahesh has joined the team and the board is excited about the next chapter of growth for CoreTru... CoreTrust. Release Versions