What cooperative purchasing is
State law allows Texas cities to contract with other public bodies, including state agencies, special districts, counties and other cities. That authority comes from the Interlocal Cooperation Act in Chapter 791 of the Government Code and from Section 271.102 of the Local Government Code. Fredville encourages the use of cooperative purchasing agreements, where two or more public entities combine their needs into one invitation for bid (IFB) or request for proposal (RFP) and gain volume pricing from one or more suppliers.
Suppliers that already have price agreements with other governments or cooperatives, and are willing to offer the same terms to Fredville, are invited to share those details with the city's Purchasing Division.
How it works
- Fredville works with both national and regional purchasing cooperatives.
- Each cooperative picks its suppliers through its own competitive bidding process.
- As a member, Fredville can then buy straight from the contracts the cooperative has awarded.
Cooperatives Fredville uses
The city currently takes part in the following types of programs:
| Program | What it offers |
|---|---|
| National government purchasing alliance | A nonprofit cooperative that lets public agencies buy goods and services from existing local and national vendor contracts, each bid and awarded under state procurement law. |
| Texas interlocal purchasing cooperative | A cooperative formed in 2019 under Chapter 791 of the Government Code. Every contract it holds was competitively solicited under state rules. |
| National governmental purchasing cooperatives (two programs) | Cooperatives that competitively bid and award contracts to local, regional and national vendors under local, state and federal purchasing law. |
| Statewide public purchasing network | A network that simplifies buying for public entities by offering contracts awarded through competition to established suppliers. |
| National cooperative purchasing organization | Legally procured contracts and vendor solutions built around the needs of public agencies. |
| Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) | The state agency that provides technology contracts, purchasing help and policy guidance so Texas governments of every size can choose and safely deploy modern technology. |
| Regional council purchasing program | A cooperative purchasing service run by a council of governments, with competitively bid contracts for a broad range of goods and services. |
| Public sector cooperative purchasing organization | A large portfolio of competitively solicited contracts from major suppliers. |
| Purchasing association of cooperative entities | Extra awarded contracts that help members meet bidding requirements while saving staff time. |
| National government purchasing agency | Pre-vetted cooperative contracts that save agencies time, effort and money. |
| Texas Comptroller, Statewide Procurement Division | Statewide contracts and centralized purchasing resources for public entities throughout Texas. |
| Interlocal purchasing system and regional councils' shared purchasing program | Competitively procured contracts for public and nonprofit agencies, including a program run by the statewide association of regional councils. |
For local suppliers
Local businesses are encouraged to compete for cooperative contracts. To see upcoming opportunities, contact the cooperative itself. Fredville does not decide when a cooperative issues a solicitation or what it covers. For help, email [email protected] or call the city's main line at (555) 010-0311.
Fredville is a demonstration city built by Talk to Fred. Names, numbers and details on this page are sample content.