OVERVIEW

Texas Woman's University promotes full and equal opportunity for all businesses in purchasing and contracting operations. In accordance with the Texas Building and Procurement Commission's legislatively mandated program regarding Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) firms, university departments must make a good faith effort to increase purchases and contract awards to HUBs as suppliers of materials, equipment, and services.

The Purchasing Office has the primary responsibility of identifying HUB vendors for the TWU community. Purchasing identifies HUB firms through telephone calls, vendor fairs, the Centralized Master Bidder's List (CMBL), and participation with local area minority and women business councils and small business associations. The Purchasing staff is committed to expanding the business opportunities available at TWU to HUB enterprises beyond the statutory requirements. 

The Purchasing Office invites departments to participate and attend monthly HUB vendor fairs. Vendors are informed of the procedures for doing business on the TWU campus and are introduced to the department buyer responsible for the commodities the vendor sells.

Bi-annual reports are sent to the Comptroller of Public Accounts of all expenditures made to HUB vendors on all non-treasury funds in accordance with the reporting requirements noted in the Texas Government Code. 

PROCEDURE

PURCHASES UP TO $2,000

Departments are encouraged to use HUB vendors whenever possible, including purchases made with the Purchasing Card.

PURCHASES $2,000.01 - $10,000

Departments must attempt to solicit at least three informal (telephone) bids, two of which must be obtained from TPASS certified HUBs; one from a minority-owned business and one from a woman-owned business (any ethnicity). The ethnicity/gender must be indicated on line 5 of the requisition. 

HUB vendors can be obtained by searching on the Centralized Master Bidders List (CMBL).

When bid responses are equal for HUB firms and regular business firms, the buyer defers to the HUB firm when awarding the contract. When entering the requisition, you must enter the lowest bidder's Vendor ID #.

HUB SUBCONTRACTING FOR CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS:

Texas Woman's University Facilities Planning when entering into a contract with an expected value of $100,000 or more shall, before the agency solicits bids, proposals, offers, or other applicable expressions, of interest, determine if it is probable for subcontracting opportunities under the contract.

If subcontracting opportunities are probable, Texas Woman's University will state such probability in its bids, proposals, offers, or other applicable expression of interest and require the submission of a HUB Subcontracting Plan (HSP). The HSP that’s acceptable to TWU, will be a provision of the contract. TWU Facilities Planning will identify the potential subcontracting opportunities with the help of the Purchasing Manager, will include a list of vendors from the Centralized Master Bidders List (CMBL) that may perform the contract opportunities.

The Purchasing Manager, or his/her designee, will present TWU's HUB program for construction contractors at all pre-bid meetings prior to all bid openings for construction & renovation projects. A review of the subcontracting procedures and required forms to be submitted with their bid will be done at that time. Subcontracting plans will be tracked by Facilities Planning and reported to the Purchasing Manager.