How to purchase: cooperatives, ESC regions & contracts
This page exists for one reader: the purchasing professional who has to turn “the board wants this” into a compliant purchase order. Here is every channel through which a Texas district, charter, or junior college can buy GSFT services — with contract numbers — and the documents your office will want on file.
Cooperative purchasing
GSFT is an awarded vendor with The Interlocal Purchasing System (TIPS), contract #24020301. Cooperative purchasing satisfies competitive-procurement requirements through the co-op’s own awarded-contract process — for most districts it is the fastest compliant path to a purchase order. Verify our TIPS awarded-vendor listing.
Active contracts
GSFT is an approved vendor with Texas ESC purchasing programs and public purchasing cooperatives. Current contracts:
| Cooperative / program | Contract # | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| TIPS — The Interlocal Purchasing System Fire, Firearm, and Active Shooter Safety & Security Solutions (non-JOC) | #24020301 | Guardian (§411.1901) training & certification, auditing, CPR training, and all professional development |
| TexBuy — ESC Region 16 Texas School Safety Certification Instructor | RFP #023-007 | Guardian (§411.1901) training & certification |
| Allied States Cooperative — ESC Region 19 Non-Instructional Setting: Administrative, Consulting, Management & Training Services | RFP #24-7484 | Guardian (§411.1901) training & certification, auditing, CPR training, and all professional development |
| Region 11 ESC Professional Development & Educational Services | RFP #23-07-28 | Guardian (§411.1901) training & certification and related consulting services |
| Region 1 ESC Professional Consultant Services | RFP #24-0162 | Guardian (§411.1901) training & certification, auditing, CPR training, and all professional development |
| Region 18 ESC Purchasing Cooperative Region 18 ESC Purchasing Cooperative Discount | R18-2024-02-000040 | Cooperative purchasing discount program |
Linked names go to the cooperative’s own vendor listing so your office can verify the award at the source. Current expiration dates are provided with every quote — or request them directly and your purchasing office will have them the same business day in most cases.
Certifications that matter to purchasing
- Texas HUB. GSFT is a State of Texas Historically Underutilized Business (HUB). Purchases from GSFT count toward your district’s HUB participation goals under the state’s Historically Underutilized Business program.
- SDVOSB. GSFT is a certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business. Verify our SDVOSB certification with the SBA.
The vendor packet
For new-vendor setup we provide, on request: W-9, the contract list (PDF) with current expirations, capabilities statement, certificate copies (HUB, SDVOSB), and references your office can actually call. Request the vendor packet and tell us which purchasing channel your district uses — the documents come back matched to it.
If you’re not sure which channel applies
Send the question as it exists in your inbox — “can we buy Guardian training through TIPS?”, “are you a Region 11 vendor?”, “we need three quotes” — and we will answer with the specific contract vehicle and paperwork. Safety spending is also broadly eligible under the school safety allotment (TEC §48.160), which your business office may want cited on the requisition.
Get the procurement documents
W-9, contract numbers, certifications, capabilities statement — matched to your purchasing channel, the same business day in most cases.
We respond to every inquiry the same business day in most cases.