Houston ISD buys through one front door: an IonWave e-bidding portal run by its Purchasing Services department at 4400 W. 18th Street. Campuses and departments are allowed to buy only from "Approved Vendors," and the district is explicit about how you become one. You respond to a specific solicitation, you get evaluated, and you get a Notice of Award for that project.
Three details trip people up here, and the third one changed in the last twelve months.
A portal account is not vendor status
HISD says this on its Purchasing Services page in plain words: creating a user account in the electronic bidding portal does not authorize a vendor to conduct business with the district. Registration in IonWave gets you two things. It lets you download solicitation documents and submit responses, and it emails you when bids are issued in the product or service categories you picked.
Approved Vendor status comes per project. Each solicitation letter defines an Approved Vendor as one authorized "through a formal procurement process and awarded a contract," and that status applies to "this specific Project." Winning the grounds maintenance contract does not let you sell a campus classroom supplies.
The district backs this with a rule that costs small firms real money. A vendor needs a purchase order, term contract or blanket purchase agreement before delivering anything. Principals and department heads are not authorized to sign contracts. Verbal agreements are prohibited, and HISD will not pay for unapproved purchases. If a principal asks you to start work while the paperwork catches up, the risk is yours.
The calendar runs on Board approval
HISD Board Policy CH(LOCAL), adopted October 10, 2025, sets the dollar lines:
| Amount | What happens |
|---|---|
| $100,000 or more | Must use a method permitted by Texas Education Code 44.031(a), such as competitive bids or competitive sealed proposals |
| $250,000 to $1,000,000 | Reported to the Board quarterly |
| Over $500,000, sole source | Publicly noticed at least seven days before going to the Board |
| $1,000,000 or more | Requires Board approval |
The Board is currently a Board of Managers, which HISD lists as its official policy-making body. The gap between bid opening and that vote can be long. HISD's own Code of Silence list, dated August 28, 2026, shows grounds maintenance opening August 14 and going to the Board September 10. Four instructional RFPs (curriculum materials, staff development, college and career readiness, and student services) opened September 30, 2026 with a scheduled Board date of May 13, 2027. Proposals must stay valid until the Board meeting named in the solicitation, so price with that date in mind.
Faxed or emailed proposals are not accepted. A response you started but never clicked "Submit" on is not considered, and late responses are rejected by the system.
The Code of Silence starts when you download
HISD's portal carries a warning in capitals: if you review or download any project, you are on the Code of Silence under Board Policy CAA(LOCAL). From the day a solicitation issues until the Board approves the award or the contract is signed, you may not communicate about it with Board members, the Superintendent, senior staff, principals, department heads or anyone who can influence the evaluation. Gifts, loans, donations and campaign contributions to those people are prohibited in that window, and a violation makes you ineligible for the award.
Your one channel is the Category Specialist named in the solicitation, in writing, through the portal, before the question cut-off date. Answers come back as addenda.
Two related disclosure rules apply. Under BBFA(LOCAL), a Board member must recuse from any contract with a vendor whose officers or key employees gave more than $2,000 to that member's campaign in the prior 12 months, and failing to disclose can mean debarment for up to 24 months. Under Texas Local Government Code Chapter 176, you file a Conflict of Interest Questionnaire by the seventh business day after a covered relationship arises. HISD's bids ask every vendor to upload a CIQ, writing "N/A" on line 3 if there is nothing to disclose, and to file an HB 1295 certificate online naming "Houston ISD" and the RFP number.
M/WBE became HUB, and the state HUB program changed underneath it
HISD's bid letters still talk about an M/WBE program. The policy now in force uses different words. CH(LOCAL) assigns a Business Assistance Department to work with Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUBs), and for competitive procurement over $1,000,000 it encourages HUB participation goals of 20% for purchases, non-professional services and construction, and 25% for professional services.
The solicitations show the transition mid-stream. RFP 27-10-11 for electrical maintenance, issued October 9, 2026, still says awards follow verification of HISD's "Minority/Women Owned Business Enterprises (MWBE) Program." Its required form is "Attachment B, HUB Participation," dated December 2025. HISD says that form is part of the evaluation, that it judges whether your effort meets its "Good Faith Effort" standard, and that skipping it makes the proposal non-compliant and can disqualify you from current and future projects.
The complication sits at the state level. The Texas Comptroller's program is now VetHUB, limited to firms 51% owned by service-disabled veterans with a rating of 20% or more. Its FAQ says it revoked every certification based on race, ethnicity or sex, ended its agreements with partner certifiers, and put permanent rules in effect May 12, 2026. The change is in court. On April 13, 2026 a Travis County judge temporarily reinstated the earlier program rules, ordering six plaintiff businesses reinstated and state agencies to notify firms decertified since December; reports differ on how far the order reaches, and the permanent VetHUB rules took effect a month later. Trial is set for November 9, 2026. If your certification is in question, ask the Comptroller's HUB office directly. HISD adopted its HUB policy before that change and does not name a certifying body on any public page. The old HISD supplier diversity page that listed accepted certifiers no longer loads.
So nobody outside HISD can tell you today which certificate satisfies Attachment B. Log in, read the form for the bid you are pursuing, and if it is unclear, ask the Category Specialist through the portal. Do not assume a City of Houston, NMSDC or WBENC certificate counts, and do not assume it does not. Our City of Houston vendor guide covers the City's own certification, which is a separate program from both HISD and the state.
What a typical bid asks for
The posted Standard Terms and Conditions (Rev. 9.30.2025) and current RFPs set the baseline. Each solicitation attaches its own version, and recent ones carry December 2025 revisions, so read the one in your bid.
- Insurance from carriers rated A or better by A.M. Best: statutory workers' compensation with $100,000 employer's liability per accident, $1,000,000 combined single limit auto, $1,000,000 per occurrence general liability, and professional liability when the Category Specialist requires it. HISD is named additional insured. You get three business days to deliver certificates once Risk Management sends its letter.
- Bonds may be required above $100,000 (performance) and $25,000 (payment), from sureties rated A- or better, decided project by project.
- Background checks under Texas Education Code 22.085 and 22.0834, a TEC Chapter 22A pre-service affidavit for on-campus work, and fingerprinting for anyone with direct student contact.
- A Texas Student Data Privacy Agreement if you will handle student PII.
- Three reference surveys, which your references return to HISD directly.
- Payment at net 30 under the Texas Prompt Payment Act, with your subcontractors paid within 10 days of your receipt. Invoices go to HISD_VendorInvoices@houstonisd.org with the PO number on them.
If you are a solo consultant, look at the "Small Contractor Services" RFPs. On October 22, 2026, two were open through December 18, 2026: Dyad Specialty Offerings and a freelance Reading and Language Arts content contributor. The Dyad RFP is open to individual contractors only, with no subcontracting and a W-9 in your own name.
Payments are moving to Oracle
HISD is replacing its finance systems with Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP and an Oracle Supplier (iSupplier) Portal for company details, W-9s and ACH banking, and it is moving vendors off paper checks. The planned go-live was July 6, 2026; the Purchasing page still labeled the portal "Coming Soon" on October 22. Questions go to the Supplier Master Data Team at SupplierRegistration@houstonisd.org.
The order of operations
- Register in HISD's IonWave portal and choose your categories narrowly.
- Check current bid opportunities. On October 22, 2026, four were open.
- Line up insurance certificates, a W-9 that matches your tax return, and bonding capacity before a bid you want drops.
- Once you download a bid, talk only to the named Category Specialist, in writing.
- Open Attachment B and settle what HUB documentation it wants before you price subcontractors.
- Submit early, then hold your price until the Board date.
Purchasing Services answers at 713-556-6515. The HISD process mirrors what we described for NYC Public Schools: a school district is its own buyer with its own portal, separate from the city around it. For state agencies and the CMBL, see doing business with Texas and our Texas programs page.
