Contracts Management Guide - Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts

een granted portal membership rights to CATRAD. In order to accomplish this, agency personnel must
request access from an agency dedicated “Superuser” and/or security coordinator of the CPA web application
portal. For a list of state agency superusers/security coordinators, go to:
https://portal.cpa.state.tx.us/securitycoordinators.asp. For assistance in utilizing the CATRAD application,
send your questions to: 2262contractadvisoryteam@cpa.state.tx.us .
Upon receiving the major contract solicitation documents, the CAT will send the submitting agency an
acknowledgement e-mail that confirms receipt of the solicitation and provides a web link to view the status of
the review.
In order to avoid impeding the agency’s procurement process, state agencies should submit their major contract
solicitation document(s) after final agency approval or for some state agencies, after final executive-level
approval (final executive-level approval may be necessary for some major contract solicitation documents,
especially for IT-related solicitations).
If the initial major contract solicitation document submitted to the CAT changes substantially, agencies are
required to resubmit their solicitation document(s) for CAT review. Changes in the major contract solicitation
are considered substantial when:
• the solicitation change caused the estimated value for the original term of the contract, not including
renewal periods, to increase by 25% or more; or
• there are significant revisions, deletions and/or additions to the specifications, statement of work
(SOW), set(s) of deliverables, performance measures, payment methodology, etc.
The CAT recommends Procurement, Contract Management, and Legal personnel incorporate the thirty (30) day
CAT review period into their procurement schedule to avoid potential delays to the agency’s solicitation,
evaluation, and award process.
Should the CAT request the initiating agency to submit a more complete major contract solicitation draft or
require clarification, the 30-day turnaround timeframe restarts when the CAT receives all the information
needed in order to conduct its review.
Exceptions
Per Texas Government Code §2262.002, institutions of higher education as defined by §61.003 of the Education
Code are exempt, as are contracts of the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) that relate specifically
to highway construction, highway engineering, or contracts subject to §201.112 of the Transportation Code.
Nepotism Disclosure
As defined by Texas Government Code §2262.004, prior to a state agency awarding a major contract to a
business entity, certain agency employees must disclose in writing to the administrative head of the state agency
any relationship the purchasing personnel is aware about that the employee has with an employee, a partner, a
major stockholder, a paid consultant with a contract with the business entity the value of which exceeds $25,000,
or other owner of the business entity.
Disclosure must be provided by signing the State Auditor’s Office (SAO) Nepotism Disclosure Form (ND
Form). For detailed instructions, download the ND Form at:
http://www.sao.state.tx.us/resources/forms/NepotismDisclosureForm.pdf
Determination of Contract Value
A major contract is one with a value of at least one (1) million dollars during the original term of the contract,
not including any renewal periods. An agency should base its determination of the proposed length of and
compensation during the original term and the renewal periods of the contract on best business practices, state
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