Purchasing Office

Thank you for your interest in doing business with the City of Eagle Pass, Texas.

The mission of the Purchasing Office is to provide open and fair conduct in all aspects of the purchasing and procurement process. The Purchasing Office provides the goods and services necessary to reach this goal by using good, common-sense procurement practices that also meet the State of Texas and the City of Eagle Pass's statutory requirements.

The City of Eagle Pass Purchasing Policy states "all purchasing shall be conducted strictly on the basis of economic and business merit." The Purchasing Office strives to apply uniform, timely, and economical means of procurement in its partnership with the vendor community.

Vendor Requirements

Vendors who are interested in selling products and services to the City must submit a completed federal Form W-9, "Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification" before purchase orders can be processed for payment. The W-9 form can be requested from the purchasing office, or found at http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw9.pdf.

Authorization to Purchase

All purchases made on behalf of the City must be made using:

• A purchase order signed by the department director, and if over $1,000, the purchasing agent. Purchase orders over $5,000 also require the signature of the finance director; or
• A credit card. Many City employees have been issued a City-issued credit card and may use it to make purchases up to the card's limits per the requirements of the card policy; or
• Cash - petty cash funds are available to City employees for purchases up to $50.

A City purchase order, City credit card, or petty cash must be used for all purchases of goods or services. The City is not obligated to pay for purchases made on account by an employee without the benefit of a valid purchase order. Such purchases are considered a personal contract between the employee and the vendor. An invoice submitted to the City that does not reflect a valid purchase order number will be rejected and returned unpaid.

Electronic Bidding System

The City of Eagle Pass Purchasing Office is proud to announce a partnership with Public Purchase, a web based e-Procurement service. In order to begin or continue to receive bid notifications as a current vendor, you must register with this new system. Information and instructions are available in the following Important Notice-Electronic Bidding System and Public Purchase Detailed Registration Instructions.

Historically Underutilized Businesses

As required by the Texas Local Government Code, the City seeks the participation of state-registered minority and woman-owned businesses. To find out how your business may qualify, please visit the Texas Comptroller website.

Interlocal Contract Sources

The City makes a significant number of purchases through cooperative purchasing agreements using contracts negotiated by other governmental entities. If your company is not already participating in these contracts, you may wish to contact the lead agencies for more information. A few of these are:

For additional information, please contact Jaime E. Zapata, Purchasing Manager, at 830-773-1111 ext. 2023 or purchasing@eaglepasstx.us. The City of Eagle Pass reserves the right to change procedures at any time.