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 72,000 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.
All vendors must be selected under one of the procurement methods stipulated in section 44.031 of the Texas Education Code approved by the Conroe ISD Board of Trustees before Conroe ISD can begin using their goods and/or services. Conroe ISD requires all vendors to have an approved procurement instrument (i.e., purchase order, term contract, master service agreement, etc.) in place prior to providing goods or services. Entering into contracts verbally, or without appropriate authorization is prohibited and a violation of state law. Any vendor who delivers goods or services to Conroe ISD without a proper contract is doing so entirely at their own risk. Conroe ISD does not pay for goods or services that were provided without the benefit of a properly executed procurement contract. Regardless of contract type and method of submission, all contracts must be reviewed and approved by Procurement Services prior to services being rendered
Bidding Process
All contracts exceeding $50,000 in value are submitted to the competitive bid process per Texas Education Code 44.031. Vendors who are interested in responding to requests for proposals 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.