Procurement Services

Conroe ISD Vendor Guidance

Established in 1892, Conroe ISD is a 348-square-mile school district that covers The Woodlands, Shenandoah, Oak Ridge North, Conroe, and Grangerland, as well as several other smaller towns, communities, and unincorporated areas in Montgomery County, Texas. As the 9th largest district in Texas and the 60th largest in the U.S., Conroe ISD serves approximately 71,000 students across 67 campuses and is one of the fastest growing districts in the State with current enrollment growth exceeding 3,000 students per year. In addition to being the largest school district in Montgomery County, Conroe ISD is the largest employer with over 10,000 employees.

The District is a political subdivision of the State of Texas. It operates under specific legal requirements for the acquisition of goods and services. Conroe ISD is exempt from most state and local taxes. Tax‐exempt forms will be supplied upon request by the Purchasing Department.

Although oversight of the purchasing process is centralized, most purchasing decisions are site‐based. The focus of the Purchasing Department is on educating our staff so that most purchases are made directly by the campus/department and to encourage the control of expenditures at these levels. By using district wide contracts, cooperative programs, and constant communication, our staff receives the support they need to make sound purchasing decisions.

Bidding Process
All contracts exceeding $50,000 in value are submitted to the competitive sealed bid/proposal review process per Texas Education Code 44.031. Vendors who are interested in responding to Bids /RFP’s are asked to register as a vendor through the eBidding platform on the website. Registered vendors will be notified when a posting is made relating to the commodity they select. Registration does not constitute approval status as a vendor; this only allows vendors to bid/quote on current bid opportunities and be considered for award.

For purchases of goods and services up to $50,000, the Purchasing Department relies on quotations from awarded vendors, which occurs either through a CISD-issued bid or purchasing cooperative awarded contract.

Cooperative Purchasing Alliances

Conroe ISD gives preference to the use of cooperative or state contracts where goods and services can be purchased at competitive prices. This is done to reduce administrative costs.

The District is affiliated with the following purchasing cooperatives:

• TASB Buyboard Cooperative Purchasing
• CTPA – Central Texas Purchasing Alliance
• Choice Partners/Harris County Department of Education
• DIR -Texas Department of Information Resources
• E&I – Educational and Institutional Cooperative Services
• EPIC6 – ESC Region 6 Interlocal Purchasing Cooperative
• ESC19 Allied States Cooperative
• HGAC – Houston‐Galveston Area Council of Governments Purchasing Cooperative
• Omnia Partners (formerly TCPN, National IPA, and US Communities)
• Sourcewell (formerly NJPA)
• SPA – School Purchasing Alliance
• CPA – Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts / State of Texas Co-op Purchasing Program
• TEEBC – Texas Educational Employers Benefit Cooperative
• TIPS/TAPS- The Interlocal Purchasing System

Board Meetings
All contracts based on bids or proposals are presented to the Board of Trustees prior to the issuance of a contract by the Purchasing Department. Meetings of the Board of Trustees are normally held on the third Tuesday of each month in the Board Room of the Deane L. Sadler Administration Building at 3205 West Davis, Conroe, Texas 77304. Those interested in attending these meetings should contact the District to verify the place and time of a specific meeting.

Current Bid Opportunities: Login to the Conroe ISD eBid system to view (Listed in order by closing date)

• RFP# 23-02-13 Medicaid Collections Services (closes on April 3, 2023 @ 10am CST)
• RFP# 23-01-01 Catering Services (closes on Friday May 19, 2023 @ 10am CST)
• RFP# 23-01-04 Instructional Supplies & Materials for the Classroom: Books, Workbooks, Software, Site Licenses, Subscriptions, Supplies (closes on Friday May 19, 2023 @ 10am CST)
• RFP# 23-01-05 Career Technical Education (CTE) Materials, Supplies, & Equipment (closes on Friday May 19, 2023 @ 10am CST)
• RFP# 23-01-14 Supplemental Contracted Educational Services & Professional Development Services (closes on Friday May 19, 2023 @ 10am CST)

Conroe ISD Purchase Order Terms and Conditionspdf

CONROE ISD CERTIFICATE OF INTERESTED PARTIES FORM 1295

Certificate of Interested Parties (Form 1295 must be filled out electronically with the Texas Ethics Commission’s online filing application, printed out, signed, and mailed to Conroe ISD Buyer)

Conroe ISD is required to comply with House Bill 1295, which amended the Texas Government Code by adding Section 2252.908, Disclosure of Interested Parties. Section 2252.908 prohibits Conroe ISD from entering into a contract resulting from this procurement process (RFP, CSP, Quote, etc.) with a business entity unless the business entity submits a Certificate of Interested Parties (Form 1295) to Conroe ISD at the time business entity submits the signed contract. The Texas Ethics Commission has adopted rules requiring the business entity to file Form 1295 electronically with the Texas Ethics Commission. The following definitions apply:

(1)”Business Entity” means an entity recognized by law through which business is conducted, including a sole proprietorship, partnership, or corporation. TEX. GOV’T CODE 2252.908(1).

(2)”Interested Party”means a person:
a) who has a controlling interest in a business entity with whom Conroe ISD contracts; or
b) who actively participates in facilitating the contract or negotiating the terms of the contract, including a broker, intermediary, adviser, or attorney for the business entity. TEX. GOV’T CODE 2252.908(3).

(3)”Controlling interest”means:
a) an ownership interest or participating interest in a business entity by virtue of units, percentage, shares, stock, or otherwise that exceeds 10 percent;
b) membership on the board of directors or other governing body of a business entity of which the board or other governing body is composed of not more than 10 members; or
c) service as an officer of a business entity that has four or fewer officers, or service as one of the four officers most highly compensated by a business entity that has more than four officers. TEX. ETHICS COMM. RULE 46.3(c).

(4)”Intermediary”means a person who actively participates in the facilitation of the contract or negotiating the contract, including a broker, adviser, attorney, or representative of or agent for the business entity who:
a) receives compensation from the business entity for the person’s participation;
b) communicates directly with the governmental entity or state agency on behalf of the business entity regarding the contract; and
c) is not an employee of the business entity. TEX. ETHICS COMM. RULE 46.3(e).

Proposers must file Form 1295 electronically with the Texas Ethics Commission using the online filing application, which can be found at https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/whatsnew/elf_info_form1295.htm. Proposers must use the filing application on the Texas Ethics Commission’s website to enter the required information on Form 1295. Proposers must print a copy of the completed form, which will include a certification of filing containing a unique certification number. The Form 1295 must be signed by an authorized agent of the business entity. The completed Form 1295 with the certification of filing certificate number and signatures must be filed with Conroe ISD by sending the completed form to the appropriate Conroe ISD Buyer.

Conroe ISD must acknowledge the receipt of the filed Form 1295 by notifying the Texas Ethics Commission of the receipt of the filed Form 1295 no later than the 30th day after the date the contract binds all parties to the contract. After Conroe ISD acknowledges the Form 1295, the Texas Ethics Commission will post the completed Form 1295 to its website within seven business days after receiving notice from Conroe ISD.

Note: Publicly traded business entities are exempt from filing a Form 1295.

SampleForm1295pdf

CONFLICT OF INTEREST QUESTIONNAIRE

Texas Local Government Code Chapter 176 requires vendors (or their agents) who enter or seek to enter into a contract with the District to complete and file Texas Ethics Commission form CIQ IF the vendor or agent (1) has an employment or other business relationship with a local government officer or member of the local government officer’s family as defined by Local Government Code 176.001 OR(2) has given a local government officer or a member of the local government officer’s family one or more gifts with an aggregate value specified by Local Government Code 176.003(a)(2)(B)OR has a family relationship with a local government officer. The form must be filed with the District’s Purchasing Department.Local government officers of the District are its Board of Trustees, its Superintendent, and any employee or agent of the District who exercises discretion in the planning, recommending, selecting, or contracting with a vendor. Employees or agents of the District who exercise discretion in the planning, recommending, selecting or contracting process may vary for each procurement, resulting in a vendor completing and filing more than one form CIQ.

If neither (1), (2), nor (3) exist, it is NOT necessary to file form CIQ.

Business Relationship means a connection between two or more parties based on commercial activity of one of the parties.The term does not include a connection based on: (a) a transaction that is subject to rate or fee regulation by a federal, state, or local governmental entity or an agency of a federal, state, or local governmental entity; (b) a transaction conducted at a price and subject to terms available to the public; or (c) a purchase or lease of goods or services from a person that is charted by a state or federal agency and that is subject to regular examination by, and reporting to, that agency.Family Member means a person related to another person within the first degree by consanguinity or affinity.

The CIQ form can only be filed by scanning and sending to rreeves@conroeisd.net

Note: Bid/Quote responses should be sent to the Purchasing Department at the address or fax number listed on the Bid/Quote form.Do not send them to the above email address.

Forms CIQ/CIS :

Form CIQ – Conflict of Interest Questionnairepdf

Form CIS – Local Government Officer Conflicts Disclosure Statementpdf

If the filing of form CIQ is required, it must be filed within seven business days of starting discussions or negotiations or submitting a bid, proposal, or other correspondence relating to a potential contract and within seven business days of becoming aware of an employment or other business relationship or gifts to an officer that would require disclosure.It is a Class C misdemeanor to knowingly fail to file form CIQ. Form CIS is required for disclosure by a Local Government Officer (or employee) of the district.

Chapter 176 requires that all forms be posted on the District’s Web site. If you have any questions regarding the filing of this form, you should contact your lawyer or other legal representative.

Rick Reeves, Director of Purchasing
Conroe ISD
3205 W. Davis
Conroe, TX 77304
936-709-7798

CONFLICT OF INTEREST FORMS ON FILE WITH CISD

• Solution Tree_CIQ_Shawn Creswellpdf
• Shawn Creswell – CIS – Solution Treepdf
• Katie Morton – CIS – Conroe Welding Supplypdf
• Ryan Morton – CIS – Conroe Welding Supplypdf
• Carl Klein – CIS – Emission Technologies of Texaspdf
• Lynda Gowin – CIS – Tony’s Gourmet Pizzapdf
• Skeeter Hubert – Woodforest Bankpdf