TAMU > Finance > SSP Services > Purchasing > Faq
Frequently Asked QuestionsSuppliers
- How do I download Bid Invitations and Catalogue Offers from the Texas Marketplace?
- How do I get on the bidders list?
- Can I just send the first page of my bid back?
You may go directly to the Electronic State Business Daily (ESBD) website and enter the Agency Requisition Number (bid or catalogue number), agency code or commodity code. For a list of links to the Bid Opportunities administered by the Department of Strategic Sourcing & Purchasing Services, visit our website.
Complete information on the Bidder's List Application process may be found on our website.
No. All bid documents must be returned in order to validate the supplier's acknowledgement and acceptance of bid terms, conditions, and specifications.
- How do I find out the results of a Bid Invitation or Catalogue Offer that my company responded to?
- What other suppliers are on a specific bid list?
To receive the results of a Bid Invitation or Catalogue Offer, suppliers must send a self-addressed stamped envelope to: Texas A&M University, Department of Strategic Sourcing & Purchasing Services, P.O. Box 30013, College Station, TX 77842-3013. A copy of the tabulation sheet with a pricing summary for the particular Bid Invitation or Catalogue Offer you requested will be returned via the self-addressed stamped envelope.
The Department of Strategic Sourcing & Purchasing Services does not provide this information until the Bid Opening date and time as indicated on the Bid Invitation or Catalogue Offer.
- Why is my Tax Status checked?
State law prohibits Texas A&M University and all other state agencies from entering into a contract or issuing a purchase order to a Vendor not in good standing with the State of Texas.
Reference: HB 175, 70th Legislature Effective 8/31/87 and Tex. Bus. Corp. Act Ann.Art. 2.45. Delinquent Tax and Texas Gov't Coe Ann. 403.055 which was amended by SB 583, 76th Legislature effective 9/1/99 discusses Issuance to Debtors Prohibited.
Customers
- How do I get set-up to order office products from Today's Business Solutions/ OfficeMax on-line?
- How do I return a product that I purchased from Today's Business Solutions/ OfficeMax?
- How do I get a Today's Business Solutions/ OfficeMax Catalog?
- Are all items in the Today's Business Solutions/ OfficeMax Catalog eligible for purchase?
- Food products
- How do I get a SSPS (Strategic Sourcing & Purchasing services) charge account?
You must first have a valid Strategic Sourcing charge account. After your Strategic Sourcing account is established, fill-out the Today's/ OfficeMax Internet Order Setup form and fax it to Strategic Sourcing Accounting at 979-862-5140. After verifying your account information, a Strategic Sourcing representative will activate Today's/ OfficeMax online access for you.
Call Customer Service at 888-373-2730 to make arrangements for the return or Fax a copy of your green and white packing list to 888-373-2832 indicating the item(s) you wish to return and a reason for the return. This needs to be done within thirty (30) days of receiving the product(s).
Fill-out the Catalog request form.
No, certain items are "restricted" from being purchased. Restricted items include:
Requests for a SSPS charge account may be made by using our Online Access Request form. Requests must be signed by the department or agency head, or the accounting officer, associated with the department requesting the charge account. Forward printed requests to:
ATTN: Accounting Assistant
Mail Stop #1477
The Catalog Information System Vendor (CISV) program was repealed by HB 2918, effective September 1, 2007. For further information click here.
The CMBL is an acronym for the Centralized Master Bidders List. It is a listing of Suppliers that are registered with and approved by the Texas Procurement and Support Services (TPASS) to sell to the State of Texas. Creation of the CMBL was an attempt by the TPASS to have one consolidated listing of Suppliers.
Departments are not required to buy from HUBs, but are strongly encouraged to utilize HUBs and request bids from them. It is important to make a Good Faith Effort to assist Texas A&M in meeting established HUB goals regarding HUB expenditures.
The dollar limits are $5,000 for both state and local funds. For more information about dollar limits of delegation, please go to Purchasing in a Nutshell.
Under $5,000 you must check whether the goods or services you need are offered through a Texas Term Contract and, if so, you must make your purchase from the contracted source.
Contact the Department of Strategic Sourcing & Purchasing Services Buyer assigned to your department or responsible for the particular product or service being purchased. To identify the appropriate Buyer, you may use our Buyer Locator.
Limited Purchases Orders are purchases a department is authorized to make within their delegated dollar limits. Limited Purchase Orders must be created in FAMIS after receiving the merchandise and the invoice.
To learn how to create a "Limited Purchase Order" contact Financial Management Operations at 979-847-8833 to schedule a training class.
The Department of Strategic Sourcing & Purchasing Services has agreements in place with many manufacturers to help expedite the process of ordering furniture. On average furniture takes a minimum of 6 to 8 weeks to receive once the order has been placed with the vendor. This process may take longer during the summer months due to the heavy volume of orders received by the manufacturers.
Complete a, Furniture Damage/Warranty/Repair Form and fax it to 845-3800, Attn: Furniture Team. The appropriate supplier will be notified by a Furniture Team Buyer who will then apprise you of the corrective action taken.
With State funds, the professor's moving expenses may be paid only if he or she is already an employee of the State of Texas. If the moving expenses are expected to exceed $5,000, you must submit a requisition to the Department of Strategic Sourcing & Purchasing Services for processing. If the moving expenses are not expected to exceed $5,000, you may process the expenses through a FAMIS "Limited Purchase Order". (To learn how to create a "Limited Purchase Order" contact Financial Management Operations at 979-847-8833 to schedule a training class.)
With Local funds, faculty move expenditures are delegated to the departments.
University departments may also utilize the Group Purchasing Program for these moves. Contact your Buyer for assistance in using this program.
We encourage you to contact the moving department at Physical Plant, at 845-3487 and request a quote. If they are unable to assist you due to scheduling conflicts, please contact the Department of Strategic Sourcing & Purchasing Services for assistance.
You may search the Texas Term Contracts online by entering a keyword from the product or service you want to buy.
If the product or service you need is not covered by a Texas Term Contract and will total less than $5,000, you may proceed with your purchase from the best known source.
If the product or service you need is covered by a Texas Term Contract and you plan to utilize state funds for the purchase, you must submit a requisition to the Department of Strategic Sourcing & Purchasing Services regardless of the total dollar amount of the purchase.
All requests for vehicles must be directed to the Associate Director of Transportation Services. If your request to purchase a vehicle is approved by Transportation Services, their Fleet Manager will prepare and forward a purchase requisition to the Department of Strategic Sourcing & Purchasing Services for processing.
You may also refer to Section 25.99.99.m4, paragraphs 2.6 of the TAMU Rules Manual for additional information regarding the purchase of vehicles.
Contact the Office of Property Management at 979-845-8147.
Pursuant to House Bill 1895, 76th Legislature, Texas A&M University, as a state agency, must purchase commodity software items through the Department of Information Resources (DIR). The commodity software items currently available and the ordering procedure are listed on the DIR "Go DIRect" website.
A complete list of the copiers offered through State Term Contracts may be found online. From this site, scroll down to and open the links beginning with "713", "714", and "985", depending on whether you wish to renew or lease a copier.
713 and 714 copiers for renewal
985 copiers for lease
State law prohibits Texas A&M University and all other state agencies from entering into a contract or issuing a purchase order to a Supplier that is not in "good standing" with the State of Texas. The law also applies to Payment Card purchases. State payments are withheld from a supplier until the supplier is returned to "good standing" with the State of Texas on all tax matters.
Reference: HB 175, 70th Legislature Effective 8/31/87 and Tex. Bus. Corp. Act Ann.Art. 2.45. Delinquent Tax and Texas Gov't Coe Ann. 403.055 which was amended by SB 583, 76th Legislature effective 9/1/99 discusses Issuance to Debtors Prohibited.
No, pre-payments and deposits may be paid only for some subscriptions and/or for orders placed with Federal Agencies. Refer to your disbursement manual.
No bids are required for "Interagency" Purchases. A contract between Texas A&M System member and another state agency or institution for services or resources exceeding $50,000 must be in writing. In situations where the amount of the transaction is $50,00 or less, the System member may use an informal letter of agreement or memorandum instead of a contract.
For complete information regarding Interagency and Intrasystem Transactions, please refer to Section 25.99.05 of the Texas A&M University System Regulations Manual.
If the goods were ordered through the purchase order process, contact the Department of Strategic Sourcing & Purchasing Services Buyer that signed the order. (If you do not know which Buyer signed the Purchase Order, you may determine this by entering your reference number on FAMIS screen 284. The Buyer will contact the Supplier to expedite delivery.
If you ordered the goods directly without going through the purchase order process, you may seek assistant from the Buyer or Buying Team that is assigned to your department. The Buyer/Buying Team assigned to your department may be identified by visiting the Buyer Locator section of our website.
The bid process is designed to obtain competitive pricing from suppliers and establish the specifications, terms, and conditions governing a purchase. Suppliers/bidders are invited to offer to sell us a good or service that meets our specifications. Normally, suppliers are allowed a minimum of fourteen (14) days to prepare and return their bid documents to the Department of Strategic Sourcing & Purchasing Services. More than fourteen days may be allowed for complex or "high-dollar" purchases, or for construction/renovation projects.
Three weeks is normally the minimum time allowed for contractors/bidders to prepare a minor construction/renovation bid response. The extra week allows time for advertising and for the bidders to attend a Pre-Bid Walk-thru which are common for construction projects. Also, construction projects typically involve additional documentation such as insurance, bonding, etc.
