CERTIFIED TEXAS CONTRACT DEVELOPER PRACTICE
EXAM WITH VERIFIED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
UPDATED 2025/2026
Vendor Communication - Communication between vendors and public procurement
professionals is vital and encouraged.
All communication must cease once the solicitation drafting process commences to
ensure integrity of procurement.
There are allowable and unallowable vendor-procurement interactions.
Surplus Programs - Purchasing Goods, go here first.
Federal surplus: comes from US govt, no public sales, usually lower fees than state.
State surplus: Property from state agencies, available for direct transfer to agency,
eventually available for sale to public.
Set Aside programs - step 2 of purchasing goods
Must be determined to be unsuitable before beginning a procurement from another
source.
Texas Correctional Industries
Texas Workforce Commission (WorkQuest and TPPD)
Must file a vendor performing report
Texas Correctional Industries (TCI) - a division of TDCJ that manufactures goods
and services using primarily offender labor for purchase by TX govt entities.
Competitive bidding not required,
Available through TX Smart Buy,
Complete VPTS
TCI Waiver Process - Process used to request not using TCI.
TCI evaluates and approves or denies waiver.
Keep waiver in procurement file.
Texas Purchasing from People with Disabilities Exception Reporting - must report
through CPA TPPD reporting tool the reason commodities or services that could
have been purchased through WorkQuest but were instead purchased from another
vendor.
Exceptions include: quality, quantity, life-cycle costs, delivery time.
Statewide Term Contracts and Managed Contracts - Established by SPD as a
source for procurement of goods and services.
Go here first before going to open market.
See contracts already created to use.
, Purchase Order Change Notice - Used when a change to an order is required.
Needed for any change regardless of if initial purchase was through a managed
contract or from TX Smart Buy.
DO PROMPTLY! (within 30 days)
Texas Multiple Award Schedule (TXMAS) - contracts to supplement the term
contracts issued and negotiated by SPD.
Awarded with SPD terms and conditions overlaying existing federal govt or other
govt entity base contract.
Agencies may use without obtaining delegated authority from SPD.
Texas Multiple Award Schedule (TXMAS) thresholds - $0- 50,000: go directly to
TXMAS vendor
$50,000- 1M: obtain a price quote from 3 vendors
$1M or greater: Minimum of 6 vendors
If not enough vendors available, then document the limited number.
Department of Information Resources (DIR) - A state agency created in 1989 that
serves as the chief information office for the State of Texas. Agencies are required to
purchase through DIR unless otherwise exempted.
Request for Offer (RFO) - Must be used for IT Procurements, if cannot use DIR
contracts.
Waiver is needed - In order to not use DIR a
DIR
Less than $50K - Bidding requirements for DIR Cooperative Contracts:
Can purchase without submitting a price request to multiple vendors.
DIR
$50k- $1M - Must submit a price request to at least 3 vendors on DIRs list in the
category to which the contract relates.
DIR
$1M-$5M - Must submit a price request to at least 6 vendors on DIRs list in the
category to which the contract relates. If 6 vendors are unavailable, Price Request
must be sent to all applicable vendors.
DIR
Over $5M - A state agency is required to submit its own solicitation via an RFO.
Vendor Performance Tracking System - Use this statutorily required method of
reporting vendors once the contracts are completed or closed out and /or throughout
the life cycle of the contract.
Texas Smart Buy - Statewide contracts procured and managed by SPD must use a
purchase order through this system.
EXAM WITH VERIFIED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
UPDATED 2025/2026
Vendor Communication - Communication between vendors and public procurement
professionals is vital and encouraged.
All communication must cease once the solicitation drafting process commences to
ensure integrity of procurement.
There are allowable and unallowable vendor-procurement interactions.
Surplus Programs - Purchasing Goods, go here first.
Federal surplus: comes from US govt, no public sales, usually lower fees than state.
State surplus: Property from state agencies, available for direct transfer to agency,
eventually available for sale to public.
Set Aside programs - step 2 of purchasing goods
Must be determined to be unsuitable before beginning a procurement from another
source.
Texas Correctional Industries
Texas Workforce Commission (WorkQuest and TPPD)
Must file a vendor performing report
Texas Correctional Industries (TCI) - a division of TDCJ that manufactures goods
and services using primarily offender labor for purchase by TX govt entities.
Competitive bidding not required,
Available through TX Smart Buy,
Complete VPTS
TCI Waiver Process - Process used to request not using TCI.
TCI evaluates and approves or denies waiver.
Keep waiver in procurement file.
Texas Purchasing from People with Disabilities Exception Reporting - must report
through CPA TPPD reporting tool the reason commodities or services that could
have been purchased through WorkQuest but were instead purchased from another
vendor.
Exceptions include: quality, quantity, life-cycle costs, delivery time.
Statewide Term Contracts and Managed Contracts - Established by SPD as a
source for procurement of goods and services.
Go here first before going to open market.
See contracts already created to use.
, Purchase Order Change Notice - Used when a change to an order is required.
Needed for any change regardless of if initial purchase was through a managed
contract or from TX Smart Buy.
DO PROMPTLY! (within 30 days)
Texas Multiple Award Schedule (TXMAS) - contracts to supplement the term
contracts issued and negotiated by SPD.
Awarded with SPD terms and conditions overlaying existing federal govt or other
govt entity base contract.
Agencies may use without obtaining delegated authority from SPD.
Texas Multiple Award Schedule (TXMAS) thresholds - $0- 50,000: go directly to
TXMAS vendor
$50,000- 1M: obtain a price quote from 3 vendors
$1M or greater: Minimum of 6 vendors
If not enough vendors available, then document the limited number.
Department of Information Resources (DIR) - A state agency created in 1989 that
serves as the chief information office for the State of Texas. Agencies are required to
purchase through DIR unless otherwise exempted.
Request for Offer (RFO) - Must be used for IT Procurements, if cannot use DIR
contracts.
Waiver is needed - In order to not use DIR a
DIR
Less than $50K - Bidding requirements for DIR Cooperative Contracts:
Can purchase without submitting a price request to multiple vendors.
DIR
$50k- $1M - Must submit a price request to at least 3 vendors on DIRs list in the
category to which the contract relates.
DIR
$1M-$5M - Must submit a price request to at least 6 vendors on DIRs list in the
category to which the contract relates. If 6 vendors are unavailable, Price Request
must be sent to all applicable vendors.
DIR
Over $5M - A state agency is required to submit its own solicitation via an RFO.
Vendor Performance Tracking System - Use this statutorily required method of
reporting vendors once the contracts are completed or closed out and /or throughout
the life cycle of the contract.
Texas Smart Buy - Statewide contracts procured and managed by SPD must use a
purchase order through this system.
