Central Technologies Named an Awarded Vendor on the PACE Contract

Supporting easier purchasing and meaningful innovation at ESC20

We’re excited to share that Central Technologies, Inc. has been recognized as an awarded vendor through the PACE Purchasing Cooperative contract (Purchasing Association of Cooperative Entities).

For districts, this matters because it helps support a clearer, more efficient pathway for purchasing—especially when you’ve already done the important work of exploring needs, aligning stakeholders, and selecting solutions that fit your goals.

And it connects directly to one of our favorite things we’ve helped build with ESC20 Education Service Center, Region 20: a hands-on Innovation Room experience designed for collaboration, inspiration, and real-world learning.

What it means to be an awarded PACE vendor

PACE is designed to support organizations with a cooperative purchasing pathway—helping members access awarded contracts and reduce common barriers that can slow down progress.

Being awarded through PACE reflects our commitment to supporting districts as they move forward—whether the focus is classroom environments, campus communication, CTE and career exploration, network upgrades, or safety planning.

In short: it helps turn strong ideas into doable plans.

Innovation doesn’t happen in a brochure—why the ESC20 Innovation Room is different

The ESC20 Innovation Room isn’t a place where districts are “sold to.” It’s a space created for meaningful exploration—where teams can try, compare, ask questions, and discover possibilities in a way that feels helpful and real.

Districts visit the Innovation Room to:

  • Collaborate across teams (instruction, technology, CTE, leadership, safety, operations)

  • Experience tools hands-on instead of guessing from a spec sheet

  • Get inspired by what’s possible—and what’s practical

  • Have productive conversations grounded in district goals

  • Leave with direction and next steps that make sense

Why partnerships make the room even more powerful

Innovation becomes more meaningful when it’s built with partners who care about results and long-term success—not just the moment a product arrives.

Through collaboration with ESC20 and strong solution partnerships, the Innovation Room supports districts by offering:

  • Multiple options to compare (not one-size-fits-all)

  • Real use-case discussions tied to district needs

  • A place to test assumptions before investing time and resources

  • A welcoming environment where questions are encouraged

It’s a space where ideas can start small—then grow into plans, pilots, and scalable rollouts.

How districts use the Innovation Room

Here are a few common (and effective) ways districts use the space:

1) Planning for the future
Teams explore emerging approaches and identify solutions aligned to next-year priorities.

2) Seeing before deciding
Hands-on discovery helps move from “we think this will work” to “we know how this fits.”

3) Aligning stakeholders
Cross-functional teams get on the same page faster when they can explore together.

4) Building a meaningful implementation plan
The room helps connect the “what” to the “how”—including training, adoption, and sustainability.

How the PACE award supports the full journey

The Innovation Room supports the front end of the process—exploration, comparison, collaboration, and clarity.

PACE supports the procurement side—providing a cooperative contract pathway to help simplify purchasing once decisions are made.

Together, it supports a smoother district experience:

Explore → Collaborate → Decide → Purchase → Implement with support

That’s what we care about most—helping districts move forward with confidence, supported by relationships, practical planning, and solutions designed to make a real impact.

Ready to visit the ESC20 Innovation Room?

Interested in visiting the ESC-20 Innovation Room or scheduling a guided walkthrough? Reach out to our team and we’ll help you plan a visit that aligns to your district goals.