Legal Services

	"Our county's 2022 New Year's resolution is to cut down on the amount of paper we use. Is the commissioners court allowed to require electronically submitted bids or proposals rather than accepting hard copies?"

Can the county require bids or proposals to be submitted electronically only, or does the county have to accept hard copies?

Under Local Government Code §262.0225, a county may require electronic bid or proposal submissions if the commissioners court adopts an order requiring electronic transmission and makes available all technology necessary to submit a bid or proposal electronically to any person who submits a hard copy bid or proposal in person. Otherwise, the county must accept hard-copy and electronic submissions. For more information, see our updated publication Short Answers to Common Questions: Basics of the County Purchasing Act and Competitive Bidding.