TARRANT COUNTY, TX
Purchasing Department
How To Do Business
Tarrant County purchases a wide variety of goods and services through Requests for Bids (RFBs), Requests for Proposals (RFPs), Requests for Qualifications (RFQs), Requests for Quotes (RFQs), Cooperative Contracts, Sole Source designations, and occasional exemptions.
Tarrant County Purchasing operates in accordance with various laws and codes. The primary laws for county purchasing reside in the State of Texas Local Government Code 262. This code describes the designation of the Purchasing Agent position and the roles, responsibilities, and processes ascribed to the position. See Local Government Code 262 and Tarrant County Purchasing Policies and Procedures.
Solicitations
The County uses a competitive process to solicit goods and services. Requests for Quotes are communicated through email, phone or fax. RFBs, RFPs, and Requests for Qualifications are all handled through a sealed bid process. The determination of which procedure is utilized for each request under $50,000 is made by the buying staff in accordance with the policies and procedures established by the Purchasing Agent and approved by the Commissioners Court. All expenditures over $50,000 must be handled by the formal sealed bid process in accordance with the State of Texas County Purchasing Act (Local Government Code 262, Subchapter C)., excluding exemptions, as defined by the State of Texas, Attorney General’s Office; and interlocal agreements.
The County advertises bids in local newspapers, on the County's website, and on the Vendor's Board in the Purchasing Department. In addition, bid notices are provided weekly to the Arlington Black Chamber of Commerce, the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce, and the Tarrant County Asian American Chamber of Commerce.
Solicitation Openings and Commissioners Court
Formal sealed bids are opened in the Purchasing conference rooms at 2 p.m. each Monday unless otherwise stated in the specifications. Vendors are encouraged to attend all publicly opened bids. Contracts resulting from the formal sealed bid process are awarded by Commissioners Court during their regularly scheduled Tuesday meetings. Vendors are welcome, but not required, to attend. Agendas for these meetings are posted each Friday afternoon online and at the County Courthouse.
Vendor Registration
Tarrant County’s vendor registration is available via our Ion Wave eProcurement system. All suppliers, service providers, and contractors interested in doing business with the County must complete registration through the electronic procurement system. In a few easy steps, you can manage your company’s contact and commodity information to ensure you receive the latest information from Tarrant County Purchasing.
Be sure to link to the appropriate commodities and business certifications in Ion Wave. This is critical to receive updated solicitation information.
Note: Failure to maintain a valid company email address, valid Tax/Employer Identification Number, and appropriate links to commodities could result in non-notification of bid and quotation opportunities.
Goods and Services (Commodity) Classification and Contacts
Tarrant County utilizes the NIGP-designated (National Institute of Governmental Purchasing) code.
HUB/DBE Program
A HUB is defined as an entity where at least 51 percent of business owners are economically disadvantaged persons of a qualifying group. Tarrant County encourages the participation of economically and socially disadvantaged businesses in all areas of procurement. The County Purchasing Agent serves as the HUB/DBE Officer (Historically Underutilized Business/Disadvantaged Business Enterprise) for the County and is involved in local certification efforts. To assist the Purchasing Agent in that endeavor is the Tarrant County Vendor Outreach Coordinator.
Cooperative Purchasing Program
Tarrant County Purchasing is a leader in providing interlocal agreements that allow other government jurisdictions and districts to obtain goods and services at competitive prices. Through piggybacking on its contracts, interlocal members may take advantage of cost savings. Tarrant County’s Cooperative Purchasing Administrator is available to assist you in learning more about the available contracts and agreement process.
Vendor Payment Lookup
This system allows Tarrant County vendors to view and print detailed, non-confidential remittance information for payments issued by the County.