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Auditor briefs commissioners on new law doubling competitive-bid threshold to $100,000
Summary
County staff informed the Van Zandt commissioners about Senate Bill 1173, which raised the competitive bidding threshold from $50,000 to $100,000 effective Sept. 1, 2025; staff said existing contracts remain governed by their terms and that purchases through cooperative purchasing networks remain unchanged.
County auditor staff briefed the Van Zandt County commissioners on Senate Bill 1173 and its effect on Local Government Code sec. 262.023, which raised the competitive-bid threshold from $50,000 to $100,000 effective Sept. 1, 2025. The auditor’s office said the change affects when formal competitive-bidding procedures are required for purchases without existing contracts.
Staff clarified that purchases under existing contracts or through recognized cooperative purchasing arrangements (for example, BuyBoard) are still governed by their contract terms and do not require additional county bids. Commissioners asked whether common purchases—such as rock or road materials when a prior bid had not been filed that year—could now be procured up to the $100,000 threshold without a new competitive process; staff confirmed yes for purchases not covered by an existing contract.
The briefing was informational; no policy change was adopted at the meeting. The auditor’s office will update county purchasing policies to reflect the statutory change.
Ending: The county will revise its purchasing policy language to conform to Senate Bill 1173 and Local Government Code sec. 262.023.
