Board approves Sourcewell co‑op; district outlines bus fleet status and new transportation fund

Canyon ISD trustees approved a participation agreement with Sourcewell cooperative purchasing to allow the district to use competitively procured vendor contracts, a move administrators said will reduce repeated small competitive bids and avoid vendor upcharges when feasible.

Administration explained the Sourcewell co‑op performs the competitive procurement for district‑usable vendors; joining is free and allows staff to select vendors already competitively vetted on the co‑op lists. “The co‑op satisfies the competitive bid process because they competitively bid everything on the co‑op,” a staff presenter said.

In related transportation discussion, operations staff reported the district’s fleet totals and repair realities: 74 total buses with 68 operational and six currently out of service, and leased buses are typically retained at the end of a seven‑year lease. When leased buses require off‑site repair, replacement buses are not routinely provided by contractors, staff said. The board asked whether the co‑op would cover all bus‑related vendors; staff said Sourcewell’s vendor lists are broad but they will continue to vet options before committing.

Administrators also briefed trustees on a new transportation internal service fund that will roll transportation operations into a self‑balancing internal account. The budget shows operating transfers in to seed the fund and intended cost transparency so campuses and internal customers can see true transportation costs for specific activities.

The board voted unanimously to approve the Sourcewell participation agreement and the administrative structure changes described.