Sec. 262.011. PURCHASING AGENTS. (a) A board composed as provided by this subsection, by majority vote, may appoint a suitable person to act as the county purchasing agent. In a county with a population of 150,000 or less, the board is composed of the judges of the district courts in the county and the county judge. In any other county, the board is composed of three judges of the district courts in the county and two members of the commissioners court of the county unless the county has fewer than three district court judges, in which case the board is composed of one district court judge and one member of the commissioners court. If members of the board who are district judges must be selected, the selection is made by a majority vote of all the district judges in a county having more than one district judge. If members of the board who are members of the commissioners court must be selected, the selection is made by a majority vote of the commissioners court. The term of office of the county purchasing agent is two years.

(b) The board may remove the county purchasing agent from office.

(c) A person appointed under this section must execute a bond in the amount of $5,000, payable to the county, conditioned that the individual will faithfully perform the duties of county purchasing agent.

(d) The county purchasing agent shall purchase all supplies, materials, and equipment required or used, and contract for all repairs to property used, by the county or a subdivision, officer, or employee of the county, except purchases and contracts required by law to be made on competitive bid. A person other than the county purchasing agent may not make the purchase of the supplies, materials, or equipment or make the contract for repairs.

(e) The county purchasing agent shall supervise all purchases made on competitive bid and shall see that all purchased supplies, materials, and equipment are delivered to the proper county officer or department in accordance with the purchase contract.

(f) A purchase made by the county purchasing agent shall be paid for by an electronic transfer, check, or warrant drawn by the county auditor on funds in the county treasury in the manner provided by law. The county auditor may not draw and the county treasurer may not honor an electronic transfer, check, or warrant for a purchase unless the purchase is made by the county purchasing agent or on competitive bid as provided by law.

(g) The county purchasing agent may cooperate with the purchasing agent of a municipality in the county to purchase any item in volume as may be necessary. The county treasurer shall honor an electronic transfer, check, or warrant drawn by the county auditor to reimburse the municipality's purchasing agent making the purchase for the county.

(h) The county purchasing agent is not required to make purchases for a municipal-county hospital or other joint undertaking of the municipality and county.

(i) On July 1 of each year, the county purchasing agent shall file with the county auditor and each of the members of the board that appoints the county purchasing agent an inventory of all the property on hand and belonging to the county and each subdivision, officer, and employee of the county. The county auditor shall carefully examine the inventory and make an accounting for all property purchased or previously inventoried and not appearing in the inventory.

(j) To prevent unnecessary purchases, the county purchasing agent, with the approval of the commissioners court, shall transfer county supplies, materials, and equipment from a subdivision, department, officer, or employee of the county that are not needed or used to another subdivision, department, officer, or employee requiring the supplies or materials or the use of the equipment. The county purchasing agent shall furnish to the county auditor a list of transferred supplies, materials, and equipment.

(k) The board that appoints the county purchasing agent shall set the salary of the agent in an amount not less than $5,000 a year, payable in equal monthly installments or by any other distribution at the option of the county. The salary shall be paid by an electronic transfer, check, or warrant drawn on funds in the county treasury.

(l) The county purchasing agent may have assistants to aid in the performance of the agent's duties. A person who is authorized by the county purchasing agent to use a county purchasing card while making a county purchase is considered an assistant of the county purchasing agent to the extent the person complies with the rules and procedures prescribed for the use of county purchasing cards as adopted by the county purchasing agent under Subsection (o). The county purchasing agent and assistants may have any help, equipment, supplies, and traveling expenses that are approved and considered advisable by the board that appointed the agent.

(m) A person, including an officer, agent, or employee of a county or of a subdivision or department of a county, commits an offense if the person violates this section. An offense under this subsection is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not less than $10 or more than $100. Each act in violation of this section is a separate offense.

(n) This section applies to all purchases of supplies, materials, and equipment for the use of the county and its officers, including purchases made by officers paid out of fees of office or otherwise, regardless of whether the purchase contract is made by the commissioners court or any other officer authorized to bind the county by contract. An officer making a purchase out of fees of office in violation of this section may not deduct the amount of the purchase from the amount of any fees of office due the county.

(o) The county purchasing agent shall adopt the rules and procedures necessary to implement the agent's duties under this section subject to approval by the commissioners court. Notwithstanding Subsection (f) or other law, rules and procedures adopted under this subsection may include rules and procedures for persons to use county purchasing cards to pay for county purchases under the direction and supervision of the county purchasing agent. Procedures for use of purchasing cards may not avoid the competitive bidding requirements of this chapter or other requirements of county financial law.

(p) During each two-year term of office, a county purchasing agent shall complete not less than 25 hours in courses relating to the duties of the county purchasing agent. The courses must be:

(1) accredited by a nationally recognized college or university;

(2) recognized by a national purchasing association, such as the National Association of Purchasing Management; or

(3) courses offered by state agencies, or by state professional associations, related to purchasing.

(q) An electronic transfer under this chapter must provide the same level of internal controls and statutory authorizations as required for a check or warrant.

Acts 1987, 70th Leg., ch. 149, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1987. Amended by Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 1, Sec. 87(q), eff. Aug. 28, 1989; Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 561, Sec. 1, 2, eff. Aug. 28, 1989; Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 1250, Sec. 5, 6, eff. Sept. 1, 1989; Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 16, Sec. 13.02(a), (d), eff. Aug. 26, 1991; Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 874, Sec. 4, eff. June 16, 1991; Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 367, Sec. 1, eff. Aug. 30, 1993; Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 505, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1999; Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 57, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2001; Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 321, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2001.

Amended by:

Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 285 (H.B. 1694), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2011.