E30017 – Approve an Ordinance authorizing an Interlocal Agreement (ILA) between the City of Houston and Harris County for cooperative purchasing.
Specific Explanation:
The Chief Procurement Officer recommends that City Council approve an ordinance authorizing an Interlocal Agreement (ILA) between the City of Houston and Harris County. The term shall be for a period beginning upon execution by all the Parties and remain in effect until either party terminates this Agreement at any time by providing (90) days’ notice in writing to the other Party.
Chapter 271, Subchapter F of the Texas Local Government Code allows local governments to participate in cooperative purchasing programs with another local government or local cooperative organizations to purchase goods or services utilizing contracts currently existing between another local government and its vendors. This process satisfies the states competitive bid law requirements.
The ILA will allow the City of Houston and Harris County to jointly participate in a shared services approach to employ a regional records management system that utilizes a shared offense report template. The ILA will allow both agencies to jointly participate in solicitations for the procurement of like goods and services related to public safety and also enable both agencies to leverage buying power through volume purchases, which ultimately will result in saving of valuable taxpayer’s dollars.
This agreement is part of the Strategic Procurement Division's ongoing effort to improve the City of Houston's purchasing process.
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Jerry Adams, Chief Procurement Officer
Finance/Strategic Procurement Division