Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The Purchasing Solutions Alliance (PSA) is purchasing cooperative for public agencies created by the Brazos Valley Council of Governments (BVCOG) on January 9th, 2008, operating under the laws of the State of Texas and governed by a board comprised of 23 elected officials, total of 32 board members from the 7 county region. BVCOG/PSA awards all contracts, which can then be made available to local governments, non-profits, and other political subdivisions of the State of Texas, as well as nationwide, through the PSA program.

The purpose of PSA is to identify qualified vendors of goods and services, to comply with state bidding requirements, and to relieve the burdens of governmental purchasing by realizing economies of scale.

Government/Public agencies join by executing the PSA Interlocal Purchasing Agreement to participate in the program. Membership is free and open to all governmental/public agencies, non-profits and other political subdivisions of the State of Texas or any other state. Membership permits the participating agency to utilize any contract made available through the Purchasing Solutions Alliance program.

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 Michael Lucas at (979) 595-2801 ext. 2035, or by email at mlucas@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 Michael Lucas at (979) 595-2801 ext. 2035, or by email at mlucas@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 is required to adhere to Texas Local Government Code (TLGC) – Chapter 252, Purchasing and Contracting Authority for Municipalities. We utilize 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.

Contract pricing is the highest price any participating member agency will be charged through a PSA contract. Vendors and members are allowed and encouraged to negotiate lower prices for high volume purchases.