1. Purchase of Supplies and Equipment for the College

It is the policy of the Board of Regents that all purchases be made within the laws and guidelines established by the State of Texas. This includes the Texas Education Code (TEC) Sec. 44.031 Purchasing Contracts, Attorney General Opinions, Texas Local Government Code Chapters 171 and 271, Texas Uniform Commercial Code, Texas Government Code Chapter 2267 Construction Contracts, and established Board policies. The College President is authorized to delegate the coordination of the college purchasing process to an appropriate member of the administrative staff. Those authorized to purchase supplies and equipment for the College will abide by the following requirements in making the necessary arrangements for bids, quotations and contracted services and will comply with federal and state requirements as outlined in the Code of Federal Regulations, 34, Subpart P, Sections 74.160–74.166.

  1. No quotes are necessary for the purchase of equipment, supplies or contracted services costing less than $10,000. However, price comparisons are recommended to assure the best pricing is being utilized.
  2. A minimum of three quotations in the form of signed quotations shall be received for the purchase of equipment, supplies or contracted services costing more than $10,000 and less than $50,000 from at least three (3) vendors before a decision to purchase is made.
  3. All items of equipment and supplies (aggregate cost) costing $50,000 or more are subject to the formal competitive purchase process TEC 44.031. In accordance with TEC, Sec. 44.031(g), legal notices will be placed in a local paper at least two (2) weeks prior to bid openings. Bids will be opened and read aloud at a designated location. In accordance with existing state statutes, bids representing the best value to the College will be taken in all cases.

Commodities and services purchased through the Texas Procurement and Support Service and other Cooperative Purchasing Programs are not subject to the competitive purchasing process in accordance with Local Government Code, Chapter 271.101–271.103.

Specific additional policies and procedures regarding the purchasing of equipment, supplies and contracted services are published in the current Policy and Procedures Manual.

Date Issued: March 10, 2005
Revision Issued: July 16, 2020
Approved: Board of Regents