Harlingen CISD

Purchasing cooperatives provide an alternative method for procuring items not available through an HCISD bid. These typically include categories of items that the district purchases infrequently or in small quantities where developing our own bid would be more costly than utilizing a cooperative.

Cooperatives offer several benefits, including:

• Guaranteed pricing
• Delivery options
• Pre-vetted vendors reviewed by the cooperative administrators

While cooperatives are considered a last resort compared to our own bidding process, they offer a cost-effective and compliant option when no other viable procurement method is available.

The vendor must include the cooperative name and contract number on all quotes.

The following purchasing cooperatives have been approved for district participation by the HCISD Board of Trustees:

• 791 Purchasing Cooperative
• BuyBoard
  • BuyBoard Navigation Instructions
• Choice Partners (a division of Harris County Department of Education)
• Department of Information Resources (DIR)
• OMNIA Partners (formerly NIPA, TCPN, and U.S. Communities)
• Purchasing Association of Cooperative Entities (PACE)
• Texas Procurement & Support Services (TPASS) (formerly TBPC)
• The Interlocal Purchasing System (TIPS)