Texas school districts, cities, counties and state agencies can hire a commercial mover without running a new bid by buying through a cooperative or schedule contract the mover already holds. The three most common in Texas are BuyBoard, TXMAS and the federal GSA Schedule. Each one was competitively procured up front, so a member entity that buys from it can meet its competitive purchasing requirements without repeating the whole process.
Move Solutions is an awarded vendor on BuyBoard’s moving services contract (No. 738-24) and on TIPS contract 240401, another Texas cooperative. Here is how the main vehicles work, who can use them and what a purchasing office needs to have in place before move day.
Why Cooperative Contracts Exist
Public entities in Texas generally have to seek competitive bids or proposals for larger purchases. A full solicitation for an office or campus move can take months, and moves rarely wait that long. A lease ends, a building opens, a renovation phase starts or a fiscal year closes.
The Texas Legislature addressed this by letting local governments participate in cooperative purchasing programs. Under Texas Local Government Code Section 271.102, a local government that buys through a cooperative purchasing program satisfies state requirements to seek competitive bids for that purchase. Texas Education Code Section 44.031 likewise lists cooperative purchasing among the methods school districts can use.
The practical effect is that the competitive process already happened at the contract level, and the member entity buys from a vendor that won it.
BuyBoard: For School Districts, Cities and Counties
BuyBoard is a cooperative purchasing program used widely by Texas public schools, municipalities, counties, and other local government agencies and political subdivisions. According to BuyBoard, membership is free and open to Texas local governments and other political subdivisions. The cooperative competitively procures contracts and makes them available to members.
For a school district moving classrooms over the summer, or a city consolidating departments into a new municipal building, BuyBoard is often the simplest route. Once the entity is a BuyBoard member, it can engage a contracted vendor directly, using the vendor’s BuyBoard contract number on its purchase order.
Two cautions apply. Membership does not override your own board policy, and most districts and cities still require internal approvals, quotes or documentation even when buying through a cooperative. And the purchase has to fall within the scope of the vendor’s awarded contract. Confirm both with your purchasing office before you commit to a schedule.
TXMAS: The Texas Multiple Award Schedule
TXMAS is administered by the Texas Comptroller’s Statewide Procurement Division. It adapts contracts that were competitively awarded by the federal government or another governmental entity, most often GSA schedule contracts, to Texas procurement law. The Comptroller describes TXMAS as a supplement to its statewide term contracts.
State agencies can purchase from TXMAS contracts, and so can members of the Comptroller’s cooperative purchasing program, Texas SmartBuy. Local governmental entities authorized by law to use the method can also purchase through it. The Comptroller’s rules require the buying entity to make a best-value determination following TXMAS purchasing procedures, and an entity may negotiate a lower price on a TXMAS contract.
For state agencies and universities relocating offices in Austin and across the state, TXMAS is frequently the first vehicle purchasing staff check. Ask any mover for its current TXMAS contract number and confirm it on the Comptroller’s contract listings before you order.
GSA Schedule: For Federal Agencies
Federal offices in Texas buy through the GSA Multiple Award Schedule. Agencies place orders against a vendor’s schedule contract under federal acquisition rules instead of running a standalone procurement. For federal moves, which often involve secure facilities, badging and fixed deadlines tied to the fiscal year, the schedule also standardizes terms both sides already understand.
Our crews are W-2 employees who are background-checked and drug-screened. For work in secure government facilities we provide crew documentation and coordinate access requirements in advance.
What Your Purchasing Office Will Need
Whichever vehicle you use, the paperwork is similar. Having it ready keeps a move from stalling between approval and the first truck.
First, confirm your membership. For BuyBoard that means an active member account. For TXMAS, eligibility as a state agency or Texas SmartBuy member.
Second, get a scoped quote. A mover’s pre-move survey defines what is moving, from where to where, over what dates and with what services, such as furniture installation, IT disconnect and reconnect, storage or disposal. The quote should reference the contract it is priced under.
Third, issue the purchase order. Move Solutions accepts purchase orders from government entities and institutions. When buying against a contract vehicle, include the contract number on the PO so billing and contract reporting line up.
Fourth, file the insurance and documentation. Public buildings commonly require a certificate of insurance naming the entity, and some require crew lists or background documentation. We provide an ACORD 25 certificate of insurance before any project begins.
Timing Moves Around Texas Public Calendars
The best time to start this paperwork is earlier than most offices expect. School districts across Dallas–Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio and Houston compress most classroom and campus moves into the weeks between the end of the spring semester and teacher in-service in August, and movers’ calendars fill early. State and local agencies often face a different pressure: projects that need to be completed, or at least ordered, before the end of a fiscal year.
In both cases, the contract vehicle removes the longest delay, which is the bid. It does not remove board approvals, building access or vendor scheduling, so plan those on their usual timeline.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does buying through BuyBoard mean we don’t need to bid?
A: Under Texas Local Government Code Section 271.102, a local government that purchases through a cooperative purchasing program satisfies state competitive bidding requirements for that purchase. Your district or city may still require internal approvals, quotes or board action, so check your own purchasing policy before ordering.
Q: Who can use TXMAS contracts?
A: TXMAS contracts are available to Texas state agencies and to members of the Comptroller’s cooperative purchasing program, Texas SmartBuy. Local governmental entities authorized by law to use the TXMAS method can also buy through it. The buying entity must follow TXMAS procedures and make a best-value determination.
Q: Is BuyBoard membership free?
A: According to BuyBoard, membership is free and open to Texas local governments and other political subdivisions, including school districts, cities and counties. Once an entity is a member, it can purchase from vendors holding BuyBoard contracts by referencing the contract on its purchase order, subject to its own internal policies.
Q: Which cooperative contracts does Move Solutions hold?
A: Move Solutions is an awarded vendor on BuyBoard contract 738-24 for moving services and on TIPS contract 240401 for relocation, moving and storage. Include the contract number on your purchase order, and ask us to confirm current contract terms before you order so the paperwork matches.
Q: Can a cooperative contract cover more than the move itself?
A: Often, yes, if the services fall within the vendor’s awarded contract scope. For Move Solutions that can include project management, furniture installation, inventory management and storage, and transportation. Confirm the specific services against the contract with your purchasing office before the order is issued.
Start Your Contract Purchase With Move Solutions
If your district, city, county or agency is planning a move in Texas, contact Move Solutions with the contract vehicle you intend to use. We will schedule a pre-move survey, provide a quote that references the right contract, and send the insurance documentation your facility requires, so your purchasing office can approve the order without delay.
