Blanket exemption
A general exemption that DIR has determined reasonable to grant to all state agencies for a limited time under certain circumstances.
DIR
Department of Information Resources.
Emergency procurement
May be warranted to prevent a hazard to life, health, safety, welfare, or property or to avoid undue additional cost to the state, as defined in §2157.068, Texas Government Code, and/or Texas Administrative Code, Title 1, Part 10, Chapter 212.
Exemption request
A formal request necessary if a state agency identifies a need to procure IT commodity through an avenue other than a DIR contract.
Expedited exemption request
An exemption request that requires an expedited response by DIR in the event that a state agency experiences an unforeseeable circumstance that requires immediate attention but does not qualify as an Emergency Procurement as defined in Texas Administrative Code, Title 1, Part 5, Chapter 113, Subchapter A, Section 113.2(21), and is not exempted by DIR under a blanket exemption.
Hardware
The physical technology used to process, manage, store, transmit, receive or deliver information. The term does not include software.
IT
Information technology
IT commodity items
Commercially available hardware, software, and technology services that are generally available to businesses or the public. DIR works in cooperation with the Office of the Comptroller of Public Accounts (CPA) to determine which commodity code items should be designated by the CPA as IT commodities to be purchased through DIR.
Proprietary Purchases
Defined in Texas Administrative Code, Title 34, Part 1, Chapter 20 , Subchapter C, Section 20.32(42), as purchases of “products or services manufactured or offered under exclusive rights of ownership, including rights under patent, copyright, or trade secret law. A product or service is proprietary if it has a distinctive feature or characteristic which is not shared or provided by competing or similar products or services.”
Purchase
To obtain ownership, any rights with respect to the use, transfer of ownership, or delivery of IT commodity items through acquisition, lease, or any other method.
Seat management
Services through which a state agency transfers its responsibilities to a vendor to manage its personal computing needs, including all necessary hardware, software, and technology services.
Software
Commercially available programs that operate hardware. The term includes all supporting documentation, media on which the software may be contained or stored, related materials, modifications, versions, upgrades, enhancements, updates, or replacements.
State agency
A department, commission, board, office, council, authority, or other agency in the executive branch or judicial branch of state government, created by the constitution or a statute of the state. The term does not include institutions of higher education, as defined in §61.003, Education Code.
Technology services
All the services, functions and activities that facilitate the design, implementation, creation, or use of software or hardware. The term includes seat management, staffing augmentation, training, maintenance and subscription services.
Go to:
IT Commodity Purchasing Guidelines for State Agencies
Blanket Exemptions
Exemption Request Form
Resources
Rules Affecting State Agencies for IT Commodity Items
