Yes. House Bill 1295 is a Texas Act regarding Disclosure of Interested Parties. Basically, it states that a governmental agency can enter into certain contracts with business entities only if the business registers Form 1295 with the Texas Ethics Commission to disclose all persons who have a controlling interest in the business. The law applies to any contract entered into after January 1, 2016 that is over $1,000,000 or requires an action or vote by the governing body of the agency. All PSA contracts were entered into before January 1, 2016 when House Bill 1295 went into effect, so Form 1295 does not apply to them at this time. Throughout this year, all of our contracts will be amended, and Form 1295 will be implemented at that time. Form 1295 is not necessary for government agencies when signing the Interlocal Agreement to become a member of PSA, because the agreement is considered an interagency contract and therefore excluded from House Bill 1295.

PSA contracts reflect highly competitive, very low prices. Although it is not expected or required, our members can negotiate lower prices with any of our vendors. This is generally used when a customer needs to order an unusually high volume of a specific product.

Membership requires the governing body of the agency to approve the PSA Interlocal Purchasing Agreement (ILA). The ILA is available for download at: www.psabuy.org on our Membership site page. Print two copies of the PSA Interlocal Purchasing Agreement and fill in all required information. Obtain the signature of the Chief Elected Official or Designee of your entity. Send both documents with original signatures to PSA at the address indicated on the agreement. PSA will execute both copies of the agreement and return one to your entity. For a more expedited process and special requests for return of the Interlocal Agreement, please contact Susan Lightfoot at (979) 595-2801 ext. 2035, or by email at susan.lightfoot@bvcog.org.

The Texas Interlocal Cooperation Act permits joint participation by local governments, states, state agencies, and certain non-profit corporations. Most states have interlocal cooperation authority or other joint power provisions that allow participation in cooperative activities.

First speak to the supplier representative(s), but if this does not work, contact Susan Lightfoot at (979) 595-2801 ext. 2035, or by email at susan.lightfoot@bvcog.org.

Access PSA’s website at www.psabuy.org for a current listing of PSA Members. Please visit our “Membership” page to view, download or print a copy of the current PSA Member List.

Access PSA’s website at www.psabuy.org for a complete listing of products with descriptions and prices, and/or contractors and contacts. Please visit our “Cooperative Contracts” page to view, download or print information about our current contract offerings.

Membership is free and open to all local governments, nonprofits, and other political subdivisions. There are no minimum spending requirements. Member entities have access to volume purchasing, and highly competitive discounts and pricing. PSA absorbs the administrative expense of preparing and soliciting proposals, and the cost of publishing legal notices. This expedites the procurement process for member entities and complies with state purchasing codes/requirements for competitive bids and proposals.

PSA utilizes the formal Request for Proposal (RFP) method as it allows us to negotiate with the highest ranked vendor and ultimately provides the best value for our members. As a standard business practice, we avoid multiple awards and seek to award contracts to the best of the best in terms of quality of products, customer service, experience, references, financial condition and price.

All purchase orders are issued directly to the supplier/vendor from the participating member agency. Our goal is to ensure transactions are processed efficiently as possible.