Competitive Energy Services coordinated across a group of our higher education clients – Amherst College, Bowdoin College, Hampshire College, Smith College, and Williams College – with the end goal of a joint renewable energy purchase. The group shared a goal for supporting the installation of additional renewable energy in New England, while minimizing financial risks. After a successful solicitation process, CES and the Colleges ultimately selected a 25 MW solar PV project located in Farmington, ME. The partnership represents the first collaborative purchase of New England-generated solar electricity by higher-education institutions and provides market access that would not have otherwise been available to individual institutions. Working between five higher education clients required extensive meetings with stakeholders, including sustainability committees, facilities staff, administrators, faculty, and students over two years. It was key to the success of the project for all parties to understand the sustainability and economic impacts, as well as how the project might fit into a larger sustainability agenda. To do this, the project had to be placed in context by comparing alternative options, including on-site developments, future off-site opportunities, efficiency projects, and REC or offset purchases. The solar project is now sending renewable electricity to the New England grid and CES is providing ongoing auditing and performance reporting to each of the colleges.