Purchasing

The South Texas Cooperative was established on September 8, 1999, and continues to play an integral part in achieving healthy school meals and efficient business practices by ensuring high quality, customer satisfying, cost effective food and supplies for its members. The primary focus of the CNP-STC is to assist participating members in the administration of a fiscally sound School Nutrition Program, and compliance with bid law requirements.  The CNP-STC acts as a coordinating center for all bids/proposals; authority for such services is granted by Texas Education Code § 8.053.

The South Texas Cooperative administers food service related bids and proposals to meet the specific needs of our School Nutrition Program members.

Competitive Procurement

• Bids & Proposals 

  • Bread & Tortilla Products

  • Cafeteria Dining Decor

  • Dairy & Juice Products

  • Dispensed Products

  • Equipment & Small Kitchen Wares

  • Food Items

  • Food Service Apparel, Shoes and Accessories

  • Fresh Produce

  • Frozen Dessert Products

  • Janitorial Supplies & Paper/Plastic Products

  • Local Beef Products

  • Manufacturer Direct Ship to District Warehouse Commercial Products

  • Processing of USDA Foods

  • Removal of Grease from Traps & Barrels
  • School Nutrition Program Food Safety and Sanitation Products and Services
  • Wireless Temperature Monitoring Systems 

Processing of USDA Foods
CNP-STC consolidates further processing requests of USDA Food allocations for its members.  Small or medium sized schools could not do this on their own because further processing requests must be done in truckload quantities. By aggregating the members further processing requests through the CNP-STC, all schools, regardless of size, are provided the opportunity to take advantage of this valuable service. 

This is a 'no fee' cooperative to members, provided their Board approves a resolution and Interlocal agreement which allows members to purchase from awarded bids competitively solicited by the ROPC.  Current awards include:

• Copy Paper and Printing Supplies
• Event Services: Decor, AV/Lighting, and Floral
• Facility Products, Services, and Rentals
• Fire Suppression System and Vent Hood Installation, Training, Parts and Repairs
• Fire Suppression System and Vent Hood Scheduled Maintenance, Inspection and Cleaning
• Fleet Vehicles
• General Merchandise and School Related Products
• Janitorial and Disposable Products
• Keynote Speakers
• Office and Classroom Furniture and Decor
• Professional Consultant Services
• Promotional Merchandise

Membership requires an Election of Goods and/or Services and Master Interlocal Agreement approvals by your Board.  Click on the link to access this document.  An original copy must be submitted to Region One ESC for the Executive Director's signature.  A copy of the fully executed document will be provided for agency records.

Since the deregulation of electricity in 2002, the Region One Education Service Center has provided its school districts the opportunity to save money on energy costs through participation in the Texas Energy Center (formerly the Region One Energy Consortium).

The Texas Energy Center saves its members millions of dollars in energy costs! We offer excellent electricity rates with contracts specifically designed to minimize risk to our members.  In addition to saving money, benefits of TEC include qualified suppliers competitively vying for our members' business; greater control over contract structure; bidding process management; and direct access to expert consultants.

TEC members: 

• Hidalgo ISD
• Horizon Montessori
• PS/South Texas Ed Tech
• La Villa ISD
• Lyford CISD
• Monte Alto ISD
• Raymondville ISD
• Region One ESC

The Texas Energy Center continues to expand its program offerings and member benefits!

Contact us today for an Interlocal Agreement to join the Region One ESC Texas Energy Center!

Energy Aggregation and Consultant Services RFP 21-AGENCY-000088 awarded to Tradition Energy.

TEAMView energy data management portal

The Library Services and Instructional Resources Cooperative provides a comprehensive collection of high-quality instructional resources and services that help students develop information and digital literacy skills. In addition, schools receive financial benefit from volume purchasing discounts provided through cooperative membership.

More information here

View your latest opportunities to work with us as a vendor

 Calculators Extra Links

Important Forms

Complete the form above to document emergency procurement needs during the pandemic when TDA does not require approval or the CE to complete the online JOT form.

Complete the e-form above when there is a problem or concern with a product or vendor.  Always discuss the problem with your sales representative first, they need to know there is a problem in order to correct it.

Documentation is a very important process in the correction of a problem.  Describe the problem or concern, provide as much detail as possible, and include any actions taken on your part or on the part of the vendor/distributor and/or manufacturer.

To request an additional item to an existing RFP please make request in Maestro. 

Any Contracting Entity (CE) that has allocations of USDA Foods may transfer those commodities to another CE.  This is applicable to transfers between NSLP CEs served by the same state contract warehouse. The Authorization to Transfer USDA Foods (Form H4529) is an electronic form used by the Transferring CE currently allocated the inventory item(s) to initiate the transfer, to obtain TDA approval, and to document the transfer.  The Authorization to Transfer USDA Foods (Form H4529) must be completed/approved prior to transferring any USDA Foods.

School-to-School transfers for CEs (Districts) who participate in Further Processing will be approved by the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) as of September 24, 2019. Both Releasing and Receiving CE's must sign the form for acknowledgment and approval of transfer. The Receiving CE must complete and attach the respective Processor Commodity Calculator to justify the need of additional pounds and submit to TDA through their monitored email CommodityOperations@TexasAgriculture.gov. Commodity Calculators can be found in our Resources Tab. Once the form is received by TDA, the Receiving CE's Average Monthly Usage and Current Months on Hand Inventory will be evaluated and approval will be determined. TDA is working on an electronic submission to be available in the future.

Links

http://www.commodityfoods.org

http://www.foodsafety.gov

http://www.fsis.usda.gov

http://www.k12foodservice.com/

https://ww2.labattfood.com/netloginmanager/login.aspx

ProcessorLink
https://www.processorlink.com/

You can locate many nutrition labels and product info here!
http://www.profileshowcase.com/

http://www.squaremeals.org/

Texas Education Agency (TEA) Financial Accountability System Resource Guide Update 14.0
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index4.aspx?id=1222 

TexaSweet Citrus Marketing, Inc
http://www.texasweet.com/

USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)  

http://www.ams.usda.gov/fv/mncs/terminal.html

http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnlabeling/child-nutrition-cn-labeling-program

http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnlabeling/authorized-manufacturers-and-labels

http://www.fns.usda.gov/fdd/pcims/Nov15CommodityFiles.htm

USDA Food & Nutrition Services Division - Food Distribution Programs
http://www.fns.usda.gov/fdd/programs/schcnp/

http://www.fns.usda.gov/fdd/nslp-usda-foods-fact-sheets 

http://www.fns.usda.gov/fncs-recipe-box

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Complete the e-form above when there is a problem or concern with a product or vendor.  Always discuss the problem with your sales representative first, they need to know there is a problem in order to correct it.

Documentation is a very important process in the correction of a problem.  Describe the problem or concern, provide as much detail as possible, and include any actions taken on your part or on the part of the vendor/distributor and/or manufacturer.

To request an additional item to an existing RFP please make request in Maestro. 

Purchase Order Terms and Conditions

PO and Payment Requirements

EDGAR Certification Letter 2026-2027

2026-2027 TEA Other Noncompetitive Procurement Approval

2026-2027 TEA Other Noncompetitive Procurement Approval Presentation

Purchasing Standard Operation Procedures 3.3.1 

Local Government Forms Frequently Asked Questions 

1. Any contract discussions or negotiations begin, or

2. Submitting an application, responses to requests for proposals, bids, correspondence, or any writing related to a potential agreement with the ESC.

Additionally, each Vendor or Contractor must file updated questionnaires no later than September 1st of each year that the Vendor or Contractor seeks to contract with the ESC, or the seventh (7th) business day after the date of an event that would render the questionnaire incomplete or inaccurate.  However, a Vendor or Contractor is not required to file a new questionnaire in any year if the vendor has completed a questionnaire between June 1st and September 1st of that year, unless the previous questionnaire is incomplete or inaccurate.

If you have questions regarding the filing of this form, you should contact your lawyer or other legal representative.

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Frequently Asked Questions

HB 914 requires “local government officers” (LGOs) to complete forms disclosing their relationships with actual or potential vendors.  In a school district or ESC, LGOs must file these forms with the district’s superintendent or ESC's executive director.

A "local government officer" is defined in districts and the ESC as a board member, the chief executive, or an employee of a local government entity.  Texas Local Government Code §176.001(4).

A vendor is a person who contracts, or seeks to contract, for the sale or purchase of property, goods or services with the Region One Education Service Center (ESC).  An agent for such a person in the person's business with the ESC is also considered a vendor.

The word "person" in this context includes a corporation, organization, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, association and any other legal entity, but does not include another governmental entity.

The law applies to a local government officer’s relationships with:

• Contractors, regardless of whether the contracts come before the board
• Individuals and businesses who seek to contract with the ESC, including bidders on solicitations (regardless of whether a bidder is awarded the contract)
• A person who acts as an agent for an individual or business that contracts with, or seeks to contract with, the ESC.

“Family members” include:

• the officer’s spouse
• the officer’s parents and children
• the officer's siblings, grandparents and grandchildren
• the officers great-grandparents, great grandchildren, aunt, uncle, nephew and/or niece
• the parents, grandparents, siblings and children of the officer’s spouse
• the spouses of the officer’s parents and children

Chapter 176 requires that certain individuals and businesses doing business or seeking to do business with the Local ESC to file a Conflicts of Interest Questionnaire form describing certain business and gift-giving relationships the filers may have with Board Members, Executive Director or Employees.

If an ESC board member, or family member, has a substantial interest in a business entity, the board member must file an affidavit of conflict and refrain from participating in the consideration of the matter for which the business entity has proposed to do business with the district.  A person has a substantial interest in a business entity if: (1) the person owns ten percent (10%) or more of the voting stock or share of the business entity or owns either ten percent (10%) of the person’s gross income for the previous year. Texas Local Government Code §171.002.

A local government officer must file a Conflicts Disclosure Statement with the Records Administrator not later than 5 p.m. on the seventh (7th) business day after the date on which the officer becomes aware of the facts that require the filing of the statement.

• no later than seven days after the date the person begins contract discussions or negotiations with the ESC
• submits an application or response to a request for proposals, bids, correspondence, or another writing related to a potential agreement with an ESC

A form may be filed with the Records Administrator by using a printed form that must be signed and notarized, or filed electronically via this website.  A statement filed electronically satisfies the signature requirement and does not need to be notarized.

A knowing violation of Texas Local Government Code §176.013(c) is a Class C misdemeanor if the contract is less than $1 million, Class B if the contract is at least $1 million but not more than $5 million, and Class A if the contract amount is at least $5 million.

Reports are required to be posted on the ESC’s Internet website.

The statute does not require school districts or other Local Governmental Entities to inform vendors of the disclosure requirements, nor does the statue impose a penalty on Entities for doing business with vendors who fail to file CIQs.  However, the vendors face criminal liability.  Reasonable steps to notify vendors of the requirement will be through bid documents, website postings, and other avenues of communication.

No.  The State of Texas, a political subdivision of the State, the Federal government, and foreign governments are not subject to the disclosure requirements.

Questions about compliance should be directed to your own legal counsel.  Compliance is the responsibility of each individual, business and agent who is subject to the law's filing requirement.

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