Doing Business with the San
Antonio River Authority
Introduction
Thank you for your interest in doing business with the San Antonio
River Authority (SARA). Your involvement as a provider of goods and
services for SARA is critical in meeting its operational, mission, and
service delivery requirements.
This presentation will help you understand SARA’s purchasing
processes, including how to become a vendor on the vendor list,
contact information for the purchasing department and the thresholds
SARA must follow for purchases.
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About SARA
In 1917, the voters of Texas, recognizing the necessity of developing
and conserving the State’s water resources and inspired by devastating
floods of 1913 and 1914, passed a Constitutional amendment allowing
the Legislature to create special purpose political subdivisions of the
State to serve regional areas, generally coincidental with river basins
and to be generally known as river authorities.
SARA, created in 1937, is one of many such active river authorities in
the State of Texas. Its jurisdiction covers 3,658 square miles—all of
Bexar, Wilson, Karnes and Goliad Counties.
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Purchasing Needs
The following represents a sample of purchasing needs:
Office Supplies
Furniture
Promotional Items
Media Services
Software/Hardware
Maintenance Supplies
Vehicles
IT Equipment
Heavy Duty Equipment
Small Tools
Professional Services
Construction Contracts
Water and Wastewater Treatment Chemicals
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Organizational Structure
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Purchasing Guidelines
SARA has a decentralized purchasing process, which allows members of each department to make
purchasing decisions based on thresholds listed in SARA’s Purchasing Policy.
Threshold 1 – under $5,000
No quotes required
Department buys with credit card or direct billing
Threshold 2 – $5,000.01 - $74,999.99
Department or Purchasing is required to obtain at least three written quotes from our
vendor list
A SARA Purchase Order is required to be issued for purchases within this threshold
Threshold 3 – $75,000 or more
This requires a formal solicitation process
Posted for 14+ days on the SARA website at http://www.saratx.org/public_information/contracting_opportunities/ and in the newspaper
The Board of Directors notification and approval may be required
This process can be 30 days to several months between solicitation and contract, depending
on timing
A SARA Purchase Order is required to be issued for purchases within this threshold
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Vendor Application
SARA’s Vendor Application can be found at:
http://www.sara-tx.org/public_information/contracting_opportunities/
The vendor application is required to be filled out in order to do business with
SARA, but not a guarantee of work. The vendor list is utilized as a means to contact
your company when goods or services are needed
SARA uses the NIGP 5-digit commodity codes to find vendors in the system. These
codes are a required part of the application and can be found at:
http://www.window.state.tx.us/procurement/com_book/
SARA takes advantage of purchasing from existing cooperative contracts, such as
TXMAS, Buyboard, DIR, etc. whenever it is in the best interest of the organization
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Contact Information
SARA’s Purchasing staff is available to answer questions Monday – Friday from 8:00am – 5:00pm.
Physical Address
Main Building
100 E. Guenther
San Antonio, TX 78205
210-302-3689 (fax)
Mailing Address
PO BOX 839980
San Antonio, TX 78283-9980
Purchasing Coordinator
Marie Hulsey
[email protected]
210-302-3603 (direct)
For questions about the application, please contact:
Kevin Boeck
[email protected]
210-302-3294 (direct)
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