Vendor FAQ

The BuyBoard Purchasing Cooperative is an administrative agency created in accordance with various state statutes. Its purpose is to obtain the benefits and efficiencies that can accrue to members of a cooperative, to comply with state procurement requirements, and to identify qualified vendors of commodities, goods, and services. The Cooperative also relieves the burdens of governmental purchasing by effectively using current technology and realizing economies of scale.

The Cooperative is governed by a board of trustees that represent members from schools, cities, and counties. The board’s primary function is to govern the Cooperative and award all the contracts directly with no delegation of authority to staff. Because all contracts are advertised and solicited directly by the Cooperative, no lead agency is involved. The Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) administers and handles the day-to-day activities of the Cooperative.

BuyBoard membership is open to all local governments, nonprofits, and other political subdivisions.

The first step is to register to receive e-mail notifications of proposal invitations. Once you receive your notification and respond to a proposal, it is presented to the Board of Trustees for awarding. If your company is awarded, you will receive notification of becoming an official contracted BuyBoard vendor.

Refer to the information on the Vendor Registration Information page. Complete the form and create a unique login name and password. You will be sent a confirmation e-mail after the information has been received. Whenever a new proposal becomes available for any of the commodities selected in your registration, you will be sent an e-mail notification.

There is no cost to register with the BuyBoard.

Whenever a new proposal becomes available based on the commodities you selected , you will be sent an e-mail notification directing you to the BuyBoard Vendor Website, where you can view proposal information. To view the contract expiration schedule, see the Contract Expiration Schedule.

Vendors can submit proposals electronically through an online submission application. To do so, vendors must be registered and have password access to the vendor website. If not submitted through the online application, the vendor can submit proposals in electronic searchable PDF format on a USB flash drive, cd-rom, or DVD.  Proposals are not accepted in paper copy.

We will not remove your company from the registration list if you do not turn in a response to a proposal. However, your registration may be terminated for inactivity if there is no logon activity for a period of 36 months. If you wish to be deleted from the registration list at any time, email bids@buyboard.com and request that your company be removed.

Once you have initially registered to receive proposal notices, you will use your login name and password to log on to that system to update your contract and commodity information.

For each proposal that becomes available based on the commodities that you selected, we send notifications out via mass e-mail. E-mail notifications are sent once to the e-mail address included in your registration. Failed e-mails are not followed up on.

All catalogs or items available for purchase on the BuyBoard are competitively procured and awarded by the Cooperative’s Board of Trustees.

There is a two percent service fee charged to vendors for each of their purchase orders transmitted through the BuyBoard. The Purchasing Cooperative will calculate those charges and will invoice vendors on a monthly basis.

Vendors that sell vehicles are not charged the two percent service fee, but they must collect an additional fee for the administrative costs. On trucks and cars, there is a $400 fee assessed per purchase order regardless of the number of vehicles on the purchase order. However, if you sell vehicle parts, your company will be assessed a two percent service fee per purchase order.

Vendors that sell school buses and ambulances must collect $800 per purchase order from the BuyBoard member. For fire trucks, that fee is $1,500 per purchase order. The Purchasing Cooperative will invoice the vendor for the purchase order fee monthly.

Each contract is valid for one year, with a possible two-year extension, if mutually agreed upon by the vendor and BuyBoard. Therefore, most contracts last for three years. (See Contract Expiration Schedule for effective dates.)

To view the list of current proposals, visit our Current Proposal Listing page. Upcoming proposals are posted approximately 45 days prior to the proposal due date. When you are a registered vendor with BuyBoard, the e-mail notification will be directed to this same page whenever there is a new proposal for your commodity.

See Contract Expiration Schedule to view the complete proposal schedule.

After each contract has been awarded, the BuyBoard administrator will post a tabulation report of each proposal. See the Proposal Tabulations page for a list of all proposals and links to each report.

No, the BuyBoard is simply an alternative to entities wanting to buy already competitively procured products and services. A variety of products is available at discounts from manufacturers’ prices. Members can elect to do all their purchasing from these discounted catalogs or only purchase selected items. After becoming a member, entities choose how to participate, product category by product category, item by item.

If the vendor cannot resolve the problem directly with the customer, vendors are encouraged to let Cooperative staff know.

A toll-free customer support number is available with technical support representatives who can answer questions regarding the operation of the system.