purchasing

Open Market Requisition (OMR) Procedures

The Open Market Requisition (OMR) process is for delegation requests for the purchase of goods with an estimated contract value of more than $50,000. Goods contracts exceeding $5 million should be submitted for OMR review prior to being submitted for Contract Advisory Team (CAT) review.

Prior to submitting an OMR for a purchase(s), state agencies are required to use CPA Term contracts through Texas SmartBuy, managed contracts, WorkQuest and Texas Correctional Industries (TCI) commodities and services, if they satisfy the agency's procurement needs.

The use of Texas Multiple Award Schedule (TXMAS) contracts is optional. If an agency is unable to find an item that meets the functional specifications or service requirements on a CPA Term Contract, conduct a search of all applicable TXMAS contracts. If the item is available on TXMAS but it does not provide best value, this should be noted on the OMR form.

Note: Lease transactions are “services” and should be submitted for Procurement Oversight & Delegation (POD) review if the resulting contract will have a value exceeding $100,000.

OMR Submissions

Submit OMR requests by email.

Requisitions will be prioritized in the order in which they are received. Delegation reviews may take up to 30 days to complete. A review period exceeds 30 days does not automatically delegate the procurement to the requesting agency. The agency does not have the authority to issue the solicitation until it receives a letter of delegation from SPD. If the agency proceeds with the procurement without receiving a letter of delegation from SPD, the resulting contract may be void.

Download the latest Open Market Requisition (OMR) form. The form must be completed fully. Incomplete forms will be returned to the agency for correction which will delay the review process.

  • The submitted OMR form must be signed by an authorized requestor.
  • The sum of the line-item total(s) must exactly match the total estimated dollar amount.
  • Either the “One-time purchase” or the “NEW multi-year contract” box must be selected. Both may be checked “Yes” if the agency is requesting the item be put on Texas SmartBuy and is requesting delegation necessary to meet the agency’s needs while SPD is soliciting a term contract for the requested item(s).
  • Provide a proprietary justification if applicable. Use of the Proprietary Justification form (PDF) is recommended.
  • Draft solicitation documents: Provide specifications, attachments, and exhibits to be included as a part of the solicitation.

Fiscal Year End

An OMR may be submitted at any time. However, as fiscal year end approaches, the requestor should consider the OMR processing time noted above, the time necessary to complete the solicitation, and the time remaining in the fiscal year when submitting for delegation of a fiscal year end purchase. SPD recommends OMR submissions for current fiscal year purchases be submitted no later than May 1. Complex procurements requiring more time to complete may need to be submitted prior to this date to allow sufficient time for the solicitation process.

Requisitions funded by the next fiscal year appropriations may be submitted to SPD during the current fiscal year. These submissions should indicate the appropriate fiscal year. If a contract must be in place before the next fiscal year, the OMR should include that information. Unless noted on the requisition, OMRs for the current fiscal year will be prioritized for processing over the next fiscal year requisitions.

Assistance

If an agency would like to speak to a member of the Statewide Contract Development team prior to submitting an OMR, send an email request.

It is recommended that agency personnel take the SPD training course “Open Market Requisition (2024)” before submitting their first OMR. The course can be found here: SPD continuing-education-webinars.