"This is the type of collaboration we envisioned when we worked through the Legislature to establish Texas' HUB program some 10 years ago," said Senator Royce West. "It helps to level the playing field when it comes to state procurement opportunities and further breaks down barriers to doing business with the state." This unique agreement opens doors for HUB businesses and provides a way for the Texas Association of HUBs (TAH) and other similar organizations to provide advice and feedback directly to the state. "I applaud DIR for developing this agreement with the Texas Association of HUBs. Strengthening collaboration between HUBs and the public sector benefits all Texans," said Senator Rodney Ellis. "It brings value to government and drives economic development for historically underutilized businesses throughout Texas."
"Given the new-found purchase authority granted by the Legislature last session, it's more important than ever that the agency demonstrate its commitment to HUB vendors in Texas," said Senator Gonzalo Barrientos. "It's encouraging to see the agency take a proactive approach and recognize the role that historically underutilized businesses can play in achieving greater efficiency and better value for Texas taxpayers."
DIR has become a critical resource for government entities by negotiating cooperative contracts with HUBs and other technology vendors. State agencies, local governments, universities, and school districts use cooperative contracts to buy technology products and services, greatly reducing their negotiation effort and creating significant economies of scale. Businesses can contract with a single agency and have access to thousands of potential public sector customers around Texas. Fifty-one percent of the DIR cooperative contracts (156 of 303) are either directly with HUBs or have a HUB reseller option.
"Reflecting the value of these statewide procurement efforts, DIR is forecasting that our customers will purchase more than $725 million through our cooperative contracts in FY 2006," said Larry Olson, executive director of DIR and the state's chief technology officer. "We want HUBs to continue to be a vital part of this important statewide initiative and our partnership with TAH will be a key component of our success." The agreement is one part of DIR's HUB outreach, which also includes funding and filling a new HUB coordinator position.
"I'm excited about this opportunity. Collaboration and partnership are key to our mission," said Roy Mata, TAH president. "DIR is an ideal partner for TAH." DIR and TAH have already begun to put the agreement into practice. On January 31, when vendors come to learn about DIR's upcoming data center consolidation procurement, they will also have an opportunity to participate in a HUB networking forum sponsored by TAH. The networking forum will connect HUBs with other potential data center services bidders.
