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SAISD purchasing director outlines procurement rules; board hears cases for raising quote thresholds
Summary
Purchasing Director Jason Henry reviewed department staffing, procurement thresholds tied to Texas Education Code Chapter 44, and examples the district used to justify considering increasing the dollar threshold for three-quote requirements.
Jason Henry, director of purchasing for San Angelo Independent School District, presented an overview of the purchasing department, its staffing and training efforts, and the district’s current procurement thresholds.
Henry said the district follows Texas Education Code Chapter 44, local government codes, and a district procedures manual. Current thresholds require one quote from an approved vendor for purchases up to $3,499; an attempt to obtain three quotes for purchases from $3,500 to $49,999; and a formal bid and board approval for purchases above $50,000. Henry described the processes for becoming an approved vendor, including local bids and purchasing cooperatives such as BuyBoard.
Administrators explained examples that motivated a proposed internal change: access-control hardware replacement that can cost about $6,000 and requires timely work to secure exterior doors; an HVAC chiller pump that cost about $9,000 but took 10 days to obtain three quotes; and camera purchases that can take up to 30 days to secure multiple bids because local dealers are busy. The district is considering changing thresholds so that single-quote authority could extend to purchases up to $9,999 and the three-quote band would start at $10,000, with the goal of reducing delays on urgent maintenance and safety work.
Board members emphasized continued transparency: although the superintendent’s delegated purchasing authority reaches $50,000, the board said its public PO reporting would remain at $20,000. Trustees asked about frequency of vendor approval and training; Henry said approved vendors are reviewed annually and that some price items require request-for-quote each time because pricing cannot be held firm for a year.
No final policy change was approved at the meeting; administrators asked the board to consider the proposed threshold change in a future agenda after additional review.
