The Local Government
Purchasing Cooperative was created to increase the purchasing
power of government entities and to simplify their purchasing
by using a customized electronic purchasing system, called the
BuyBoard. The Cooperative is administered by the Texas Association
of School Boards and is endorsed by the Texas Municipal League
(TML) and the Texas Association of Counties (TAC).
Internet-based Online
Purchasing
The Cooperative uses
Internet-based technologies to create a single source for product
and awarded contract information. The BuyBoard, a secured Web
site, allows members to make confident buying decisions and streamline
the purchasing process.
The BuyBoard’s
simple format allows point-and-click access to detailed product
descriptions, part numbers, and images. Buyers simply select products
that best fit their needs. Searching can be done by keyword, part
number, vendor, or even manufacturer.
Members only need a
Web browser to access the efficiencies created using the BuyBoard.
The BuyBoard allows buyers to create purchase requisitions and
route those requisitions based on an approval path that each entity
defines. As requisitions are approved, status history is tracked.
At the point the purchase is fully approved, a purchase order
is created and transmitted electronically to the vendor.
No More Bidding
All items and catalogs
posted on the BuyBoard have been competitively procured and awarded
by the Cooperative’s Board of Trustees based on Texas
statutes. This eliminates the need for members to go through the
bidding process on their own.
A request for quote
(RFQ) option is also available for volume purchases. By using
an RFQ to awarded Co-op vendors, members have the opportunity
to save additional money, again, without going through the formal
bid process themselves. The end result is a reduction in administrative
efforts while maintaining compliance with competitive bidding
requirements.
BuyBoard Objectives
Facilitate
compliance with state bidding requirements
Identify
qualified vendors of goods and services
Relieve
the burdens of governmental purchasing functions
Reduce
the cost of goods and services with economies of scale
BuyBoard Features
View electronic catalogs
of available products
Use
keyword searches to locate products and services
Create
purchase requisitions and purchase orders
Send
purchase orders electronically to contracted vendors
Create
approval routes for approval of purchases
Create
RFQs for price quotes
Approved
Roofing Systems
