Procurement
ERS buys goods and services from qualified vendors including accounting and financial services, computer hardware and maintenance, computer software and maintenance, furniture, information technology services, office equipment and supplies, printing services, professional services, recycled products, security systems and maintenance, telecommunications equipment, and temporary personnel services.
Registration
Purchasers for the State of Texas encourage vendors to register to the fullest extent possible.
Centralized Master Bidders List (CMBL)
The CMBL is a master database of vendors by the products and services they provide that is maintained by the Comptroller. Government entities, including ERS, use this database to develop mailing lists for bid solicitation. Vendors must register with the Comptroller and pay a fee to get on the CMBL.
Though registering with the CMBL does not guarantee a vendor will receive business from the State, it does increase a business's visibility to state government entities.
Instructions for registering on the CMBL
Department of Information Resources (DIR) Cooperative Contracts Program
ERS uses the DIR Cooperative Contracts program and processes to purchase Information Technology products and services. In the infrequent event that DIR does not have any contracts relevant to our needs, ERS will solicit responses to a Request for Information or Request for Proposal directly. ERS uses the CMBL to notify vendors of the bid request and posts to the Electronic State Bid Daily website (ESBD) for download by any vendor.
If you are interested in becoming a vendor in the DIR Cooperative Contracts Program, you must respond to a Request for Offer (RFO) issued by DIR that corresponds to your company's core products and services. Once you are on a DIR contract, all state government entities can utilize the contract including ERS.
Visit the DIR Cooperative Contracts webpage
Bid Opportunities
Procurement opportunities valued at $25,000 or more are posted by state government entities to the Texas Marketplace website referred to as the Electronic State Bid Daily (ESBD) and bid solicitations are sent to the vendors registered on the CMBL for the category of product or service. You do not have to register to view opportunities on this site. The ESBD is searchable by agency name or requisition number, National Institute of Governmental Purchasing (NIGP) class and item code, and goods or services keyword.