Instructional Materials Procurement System

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is seeking responses from qualified respondents to replace the current statewide instructional materials procurement system (EMAT). The procurement system will be integrated with TEA’s Centralized Accounting and Payroll/Personnel System (TCAPPS) to provide a procurement platform for districts to request instructional materials from vendors with funding allocated by the Texas Education Agency to each school district. TEA is a CAPPS HUB agency with TEA customizations and custom-developed bolt-on applications like EMAT. TCAPPS was formerly known as the Integrated Statewide Accounting System (ISAS), but the name was changed in 2015. The procurement system manages and processes all Texas public education instructional material requests, orders, payments, and deliveries. These instructional materials consist of textbooks, workbooks, software, online materials, open-educational resources, and accessible instructional materials such as braille, large-type, and audio materials. The procurement system is accessed by internal staff at TEA, various staff members at the state’s 1,200+ independent school districts, and by over 100 different publishers and shippers. The procurement system must be web-based, designed, and built to support the entire process and all user roles in an efficient manner, minimizing manual processes. This procurement platform will require a user-friendly consumer interface with little training required. In addition to integrating with our current financial system, the procurement system must also provide reporting and tracking, provide ongoing support, and provide a level of customization. TEA values innovation, creativity, and iterative design