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Purchasing


The City of College Station Purchasing Division is committed to procuring goods and services in a manner that provides for free and unrestricted competition while ensuring the taxpayers the best possible return on and use of their tax dollars. All procurement activities shall be in compliance with all City policies and applicable local, state, and federal laws.

Please see the Procurement Manual for information regarding the various methods of procurement as well as duties and responsibilities of all those involved in the purchasing process. Purchasing Guidelines will provide a quick view of the various levels of purchase thresholds and related requirements.


    Doing Business with the City
    Thank you for your interest in doing business with the City of College Station. The City welcomes the participation of all responsible vendors offering quality goods and services, at the best value, that will assure the City meets its operational and service delivery requirements.

    Register: Vendors interested in doing business with the City are encouraged to register their business with the Brazos Valley e-Marketplace (online bidding portal) to receive e-mail notifications of business opportunities.

    Purchase Orders: All expenditures greater than $3,000 require a purchase order. Vendors interested in doing business with the City shall comply with the City’s Standard Purchase Order Terms and Conditions.

    Invoices: View Accounts Payable/Vendor Information.

    Tax Exemption: The City of College Station is exempt from all state and city sales taxes. Blanket Texas Sales and Use Tax Exemption certificates will be provided by Purchasing Division staff upon request.

    Credit Information: Credit information will be provided by Purchasing Division staff upon request.

    Insurance Requirements: Vendors performing certain services for the City may be required to procure and maintain, at its sole cost and expense, insurance coverage. All applicable insurance requirements shall be fulfilled prior to the execution of a contract and/or issuance of a purchase order. The required policies, coverages, limits, and endorsements are incorporated in solicitation documents and contract documents as needed.

    Bid Security/Bonding:
    In order to protect the interests of the City of College Station taxpayers, the City may require bonding security on bids and contracts. Details regarding bonding securities are incorporated into solicitation and contract documents as needed.

    • Bid Security: Bid security, in the form of a cashier’s check, certified check, or a bid bond may be required for solicitations estimated to be in excess of $50,000 in value.
        
    • Performance and Payment Bonds: For all public works contracts, a payment bond is required if the contract amount exceeds $50,000, and a performance bond is required if the contract amount exceeds $100,000. Below these amounts, the City may require payment and/or performance bonds.


    Ethics Policy: Public employment is a public trust. Public employees must discharge their duties impartially so as to assure fair competitive access to City procurement by responsible contractors. Moreover, public employees should conduct themselves in such a manner that fosters public confidence in the integrity of the City of College Station procurement process. To achieve this purpose, it is essential that those doing business with City of College Station also observe these ethical standards. Please see Chapter 3 in the Purchasing Manual to view the policy in its entirety.
    Purchasing Guidelines

    We invite persons who would like to be notified of business opportunities with the City to register as a vendor. Registered vendors will receive an automatic notification of BIDS, Request For Proposals (RFPs), and Request For Qualifications (RFQs) as they are issued.

    The City has established various levels of purchasing authority as outlined below. By routing purchases through the Purchasing Department, it becomes possible to improve economies of scale in quantity buying. This shall also identify areas where competitive bidding or proposals are required.

    Purchases under $3,000.00
    Purchases under $3,000.00 do not require a purchase order issued from Purchasing. However, they do require a Request for Check to be issued, which receives proper approval by the using department, or goods can be purchased with the city's Procurement Card. 

    Purchases $3,000.00 to $49,999.99
    Purchases of $3,000.00 and over require a purchase order number issued by Purchasing. A minimum of three (3) telephone or written quotes are solicited when practical.

    Purchases of $50,000.00 and Over
    The Texas Local Government Code requires competitive bidding or proposals for all City purchases exceeding $50,000 (except for those expenditures that fall under an exemption listed in the Code). These purchases require legal advertising and formal sealed bids or proposals. The law prohibits any City employee from making "separate, sequential, or component" purchases to avoid the competitive bidding requirements.

    Competitive Proposals
    A process similar to the sealed competitive bid procedure, the Request for Proposal (RFP) may be used for the procurement of goods and services that are highly specialized and technical in nature or for the purchase of insurance.

    Buyer-Seller Relationship

    The Buyer-Seller relationship is one of mutual confidence and satisfaction between the City and the Supplier. To meet this convenance, we have established the following duties and responsibilities for each.

    Responsibilities of the Purchasing Division

    The responsibility of the City's Purchasing Division is to aid and assist each department within the City and their staff to procure necessary goods and services at the best possible price within all Federal, State, and City purchasing laws. Specific responsibilities include:

    • Assist in the selection of responsible vendors.
    • Assist in obtaining pricing information.
    • Determine that the purchase price is reasonable and that requirements for competition and performance have been met.
    • Assist the individual departments to develop quality and quantity specifications for goods and services to be purchased along with required delivery schedules.
    • Encourage competition between vendors through negotiations, competitive bidding, and quantity buying.
    • Utilize annual supply agreements whenever possible in order to maximize the advantages and economies of quantity buying.
    • Continuously monitor requisitions by all departments to facilitate consolidation of purchases where possible.
    • Ensure that the City has the ability to take advantage of quantity and pricing discounts whenever they are available.
    • Explore the use of cooperative purchasing programs with the State of Texas and other Local Government units.
    • Control the cost of purchasing for the City.


    Responsibilities of our Vendors/Suppliers

    The City of College Station maintains no preferential bidders list. For certain products, however, we establish a Qualified Information Systems Vendor (QISV) List. The City endeavors at all times to maintain good will between the City and its Suppliers. Toward this end, we ask that you strive to:

    • Call ahead for appointments whenever possible.
    • Make sure we have current catalogs and pricing, or access to your web site with this information. It is mutually beneficial for us to be kept up to date on new ideas or products.
    • Refrain from "social calls". Your time is valuable.
    • Recognize our limitations regarding authority. A purchase order is issued only after compliance with Federal, State, and City laws.
    • Direct all solicitations to the Purchasing Division prior to visiting a specific City department. This will ensure that you will be directed to the appropriate person within the department as needed.
    • Conduct your business openly and frankly. As a public agency, our records are a matter of public record.
    • Honor all pricing, delivery, and service agreements as quoted.
    • Call us with any questions or suggestions. You are a valued supplier.
    • Maintain City policy regarding gifts or favors. No City employee may accept any gifts or favors. The best favor you can do is to see the City receives the best price, quality, and service.
    Vendor Registration
    We invite persons who would like to be notified of City of College Station business opportunities to register their company with the Brazos Valley e-Marketplace (online bidding portal). Registration only takes a few minutes to complete, there is no waiting period to be approved, and there are no registration fees. Once registered and logged in, vendors will have the ability to download solicitation documents, upload solicitation response packages, and submit questions regarding active solicitations. Additionally, registered vendors will also have access to solicitations posted by other participating agencies within the Brazos Valley such as: Brazos County, City of Bryan, Bryan Texas Utilities, and the San Jacinto River Authority.

    To begin the registration process, please go to the online bidding portal and click on the Supplier Registration icon.

    1. Go to brazosbid.ionwave.net.
       
    2. Click the Supplier Registration icon and enter the required information on the Preliminary Company Information tab and click Next.
       
    3. On the Terms tab, review and accept the terms and conditions and click Next.
       
    4. On the Company Information tab, enter the required information which will also include User Information and Company Address Information, then click Save and Next.
       
    5. After these tabs are fully completed, a pop-up notification will instruct the User to verify their email address by clicking on a link provided in an email sent from the online bidding portal. Verification of the email address is required to continue the registration process.
       
    6. Once email verification is complete, the User will have access to complete the remaining tabs.
       
    7. Upon completion of the registration process, a pop-up notification will notify the User of their successful registration and the User will receive an email notification from the online bidding portal notifying the User that their account is now active.

    Helpful Hints for Registering Vendors
    • During registration, carefully select the commodity categories that your company provides. This determines which solicitation notifications you will receive.
       
    • Add additional Users or utilize a generic/shared email address to ensure your company receives notifications.
       
    • Utilize the Help files for tutorials and instructions on how to use the online bidding portal. The link to the Help files is located on the online bidding portal dashboard under Quick Links.
    Online Bidding
    City of College Station solicitations are posted to the Brazos Valley e-Marketplace bidding portal. Some solicitations, but not all, are conducive to receipt of response packages via the online bidding portal. Uploaded responses are encrypted and remain effectively locked until the due date and time. To participate in an active solicitation process, vendors must be registered with the online bidding portal. Please note that the City of College Station is not responsible for high internet traffic/demand at or near the time the response packages are due and that vendors submitting their response package during peak traffic times risk their submittal not being received by the due date and time. Solicitation responses will not be accepted once the specified due date and time has passed.

    Anyone interested in viewing closed solicitations and related tabulations, as well as award documents posted on the online bidding portal, may do so without registering for login credentials.

    Helpful Hints for Registered Vendors
    • Periodically review your Company Profile to ensure the information is accurate. Your commodity category selections will help determine the solicitation notification you receive.
       
    • Submit your solicitation response early! Submitting early gives you time to correct mistakes in your response or to deal with Internet/computer issues.
       
    • Whitelist the @customer.ionwave.net email domain to ensure you receive email from the online bidding portal.
       
    • Utilize the Help files for tutorials and instructions on how to use the online bidding portal. The link to the Help files is located on the online bidding portal dashboard under Quick Links.
    Buy-Surplus Items

    Occasionally, the city disposes of surplus, salvaged and abandoned property. We have established procedures to ensure the maximum return on our investment.

    GovDeals: City of College Station's Surplus Site

    All governmental entities interested in any of the surplus displayed must email [email protected] to determine an official date/time.

    Additional correspondence for clarification/information and establishment of a fair market value for the surplus item(s) should be directed to:

    Brook Wynne
    Purchasing Assistant



Contact Us


Contact Information
Lisa D. Davis, CPM, APP | Purchasing Manager
[email protected]

Brook Wynne 
| Purchasing Assistant
[email protected]

Brandi Whittenton, CPCP, CPP  
| Buyer II
[email protected]

Alan Degelman, CPM, CTCD   Buyer II
[email protected]

Josie Urrutia, CPP, CPPB | Buyer
[email protected]

Laura Perez   Buyer 
[email protected]

Keandria Jernigan   Buyer 
[email protected]

Elsa Contreras | Associate Buyer
[email protected]
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