PRESS RELEASE: Leading with Transparency: The Community College League of California’s Approach to Technology Procurement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 10, 2025

Leading with Transparency: The Community College League of California’s Approach to Technology Procurement

Sacramento, CA – The Community College League of California appreciates recent journalistic investigations into the cost and use of plagiarism and AI detection tools in higher education. The discoveries have brought much deserved attention to important questions about fairness and transparency in vendor pricing. The League finds it imperative to clarify how procurement works within California’s community college system and the role its consortium-based approach plays in supporting fairness and cost transparency.

Decentralized System, Local Control
California’s 116 community colleges operate under 72 locally governed districts (plus Calbright – the exclusively online college), and distinct from the more centralized University of California and California State University systems. In recognition of this structure, the League’s Library and Technology Purchasing Program provides opt-in consortium pricing—not system-wide mandates. This structure supports local autonomy and allows colleges to make procurement decisions based on their unique academic and budgetary priorities.

Leveraging Collective Power to Reduce Costs
Despite the decentralized model, the League negotiates collective discounts on widely used technologies, such as Turnitin. These negotiations leverage participation across many colleges to reduce per-campus costs. While not all colleges opt in, those that do benefit from significantly lower prices than they would by negotiating individually. The League continues to pursue further systemwide savings.

Addressing Industry-Wide Pricing Disparities
The variability in Turnitin pricing across institutions — including cases where community colleges pay more per-student than elite universities — reflects a broader concern about opaque vendor pricing models rather than the effectiveness of any single procurement strategy. Vendors often base pricing on factors such as institutional brand, enrollment size, contract length, and negotiation history. Unfortunately, this results in smaller or less prominent institutions, including many community colleges, facing disproportionately higher costs.

A Commitment to Transparency and Fairness
The League is committed to advocating for greater transparency and fairness in pricing, and actively negotiates with vendors about equitable pricing structures and push for terms that protect student privacy and institutional budgets.

Supporting Informed, Local Decision-Making
Ultimately, the League’s procurement approach empowers colleges to make informed decisions that align with local priorities. For colleges that choose not to participate in consortium contracts, the League remains a resource for consultation and pricing comparisons, ensuring every college has access to information that supports responsible and effective procurement.

For more information about the League’s Library and Technology Purchasing Program, visit www.ccleague.org/library-tech.