TIPS The Interlocal Purchasing System

TIPS (The Interlocal Purchasing System) is a national cooperative purchasing organization based in Texas. It provides competitively procured contracts to government agencies, K-12 school districts, higher education institutions, municipalities, and nonprofits.

TIPS handles the competitive solicitation process on behalf of its members. Contracts are awarded through a public bid process that satisfies Texas procurement law and competitive bidding requirements. When a member entity purchases from an awarded vendor and references the TIPS contract number, the procurement requirement has already been met.

TIPS membership is free, and registration is available on the TIPS website.

TIPS contracts are available to a wide range of public entities, including:

• K-12 school districts and education service centers
• Public and private colleges and universities
• Cities, counties, and municipalities
• State agencies
• Special districts (water, fire, transit)
• Nonprofits (in many states)
• Tribal governments

If your organization is not yet a TIPS member, you can register at no cost on the TIPS website before issuing a purchase order.

Purchasing through TIPS saves your organization time and administrative work. Because the TIPS contract was competitively bid and publicly awarded, member entities can:

• Skip the RFP process. The competitive solicitation requirement has already been satisfied.
• Shorten procurement timelines. Projects can move from quote to purchase order in days rather than months.
• Purchase with confidence. Awarded vendors have been evaluated on qualifications, pricing, and references.
• Meet compliance requirements. The NCS TIPS contract is EDGAR compliant, which matters for entities using federal funds.

The Technology Solutions, Products, and Services contract covers the core services NCS has delivered since 1981, including:

• Structured cabling (copper and fiber optic)
• Audiovisual (AV) systems
• Physical security, access control, and video surveillance
• Wireless networks and distributed antenna systems (DAS)
• Network infrastructure

NCS serves TIPS members in Texas and Louisiana from six Texas locations: Houston (two offices), Dallas-Fort Worth, Corpus Christi, the Rio Grande Valley, and Galveston. NCS is also a certified Women Business Enterprise (WBE), which can help your organization meet diversity procurement goals.

Contract Details At-A-Glance:

The purchase order process for this contract runs through TIPS rather than directly to NCS. Follow these steps:

Step 1: Request a quote from NCS. Contact our team to discuss your project and receive a quote. Your quote must reference TIPS Contract 260105.

Step 2: Issue a purchase order to your NCS quote. Your PO must also reference TIPS Contract 260105.

Step 3: Email the PO to TIPS — not to NCS. This step is different from some other cooperative contracts. Email your purchase order to tipspo@tips-usa.com. TIPS will review it and forward it to NCS for processing.

When emailing your PO to TIPS, follow these requirements:

• Both the PO and the quote must reference TIPS Contract 260105
• Attach documents as PDF files
• Include only one (1) PO/quote per attachment

Step 4: NCS receives your PO from TIPS and begins your project. Once TIPS forwards your purchase order to us, our team will confirm receipt and coordinate scheduling with you directly.

For the full member purchase order process, see the official TIPS Member PO Process document: TIPS Member PO Process (PDF)

Ready to Get Started?

Contact NCS to request a quote under TIPS Contract 260105.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)