Purchasing

The mission of City of Waco Purchasing Services is to ethically procure quality goods and services at competitive prices while fostering a favorable business environment for vendors and serves as stewards for the residents of Waco.

A diverse support and customer-oriented team that administers and manages:

• Project bid, proposal, and qualification services
• City-wide operating procurements
• Fleet procurements
• Warehousing and support services
• Vendor and community outreach

The City of Waco now accepts electronic bids and proposal submissions through the Bonfire eProcurement Platform. This is a free service to vendors and will allow users to search for current business opportunities and projects.

• Bonfire Registration
• Bonfire Login
• Bonfire Portal Support

How It Works

1. Vendors register and enter NIGP Commodity Codes.
2. NIGP Commodity Codes are unique identifiers of services or products a vendor offers.
3. NIGP Commodity Codes are used for daily purchases and for formal projects over $50,000.00.
4. Vendors are automatically notified when their NIGP Commodity Coded matches a need for the City.
5. Bonfire encourages government transparency.
6. Bonfire helps build relationships with vendors and the City of Waco.

• Bid Tabulations and Submissions are posted 24 hours after the designated Close date.
• A registered account is needed to download the files.

Steps to Locate:

1. Login to Bonfire
2. Click the "View Opportunity" button for the project
3. Scroll down to the Supporting Documentation Section
4. Look for the file indicating "Bid Tabulation" or "Submission"
5. Download the file

If the Bid Tabulations or Submissions document is not listed, contact purchasing@wacotx.gov with the project reference number and name. 

• DemandStar by Onvia
• Public Purchase
• CivCast
• Electronic State Business Daily
• The Waco Tribune-Herald
• Central Texas Chapter Associated General Contractor of America (Centex AGC)
• Local Area Chambers of Commerce:
  • Cen-Tex African American Chamber of Commerce
  • Cen-Tex Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
  • Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce

The City of Waco relies on its cooperative partners to pool our purchasing power to increase the value of our citizen’s tax dollars and improve the efficiency of the services provided. Here are our current partners:

• GoodBuy Purchasing Cooperative
• Houston-Galveston Area Council of Governments Cooperative Purchasing Program; HGAC Online Purchasing
• Minnesota Cooperative Purchasing Venture
• Omnia Partners
• Sourcewell
• State of Texas, Building & Procurement Commission Purchasing Cooperative Program
• Texas Local Government Purchasing Cooperative-Buy Board
• Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR)
• The Interlocal Purchasing System - TIPS
• U.S. General Services Administration

The City of Waco is committed to assuring that all businesses are given prompt, courteous, and equal opportunity to provide goods and services to the City. Historically Underutilized Businesses residing in McLennan County, as certified by the Texas Building and Procurement Commission, are consistently included and encouraged to participate in our bidding process.

Current HUB List

• Click Business Category/Vendor Location
• Select "McLennan" for the County Location

Vendors interested in becoming HUB certified can apply online.
For assistance in completing the forms, vendors may call the McLennan Community College Small Business Development Center at 1-800-349-7232 or in Waco (254) 254-299-8141 (http://www.mccsbdc.com/).