Quotes in a row are not competition
Each vendor prices in the dark. There is no live pressure to come down, so the public often pays a quiet premium.
Public Sector
Make every tax dollar go further
Texas municipalities, counties, school districts, and special districts use a private reverse auction to get better prices from vendors they already trust. Savings stay in the budget to reinvest. No new software line to manage. Any qualified vendor can compete for your business.
Who this page is for
City and county purchasing staff, finance directors, and school business offices across Texas. If you answer to city council, commissioners court, or your board, this page is for you.
- Texas cities and home-rule municipalities
- Texas counties
- School districts
- Special districts and authorities
One quote after another leaves public money on the table
Repeat vendors stop competing
Renewals and repeat purchases drift up because collecting comparable quotes takes weeks. The extra cost never shows up as a line item. It just reduces what you can fund next.
Chasing quotes leaves budget unused
Many events on RFPwon close within 48 hours once the live window opens. That matters when you are trying to obligate savings before your fiscal year closes.
What a reverse auction changes
Same vendors, better prices
Bring in the vendors you already trust, or open it up to anyone who qualifies. They compete live on work you have already defined. You still choose the winner based on quality, delivery, and local rules. Any vendor who meets your criteria can compete. That's what makes the savings easy to stand behind.
Savings you can reinvest
Verified savings stay with your department. RFPwon takes 10% of what was saved, only at close. You keep 90%. No savings, no fee.
A process you can explain
Open to qualified vendors, private bids, a timestamped event record. When city council or commissioners court asks how you stretched the budget, you export the file instead of rebuilding it from email.
When city council or commissioners court asks
The record is a byproduct of the event
The process stays visible start to finish. Every step gets logged as it happens, so you can show exactly how the savings happened whenever city council, commissioners court, or your board asks.
- Event timeline
- Registration list
- Timestamped bids
- Attached policies
- Award notes
How RFPwon supports public buyers
Every RFPwon event is private, open to qualified vendors, and vendor-agnostic.
01.
Stretch the budget
Live reverse auctions create price pressure that email quotes do not. The same budget funds more work.
02.
Keep your process
Send the RFP, evaluate, and contract in the tools you already have. RFPwon is the live pricing event after you have chosen eligible vendors.
03.
Easy to get started
Bring in the vendors you already trust, or open it up to anyone who qualifies. Set the rules and start the live event. Many events close in 48 hours. There is no long setup.
04.
You only pay if you save
Nothing upfront. RFPwon earns 10% of verified savings at close. You keep 90%. No savings, no fee. Fee structure is disclosed for contracting officers.
Public Sector FAQ
- Is a reverse auction appropriate for Texas public procurement?
- Yes. Reverse auctions are an authorized purchasing method for Texas cities and counties under Local Government Code Section 252.021 and Section 262.023. This isn't legal advice. Your procurement team or counsel should confirm how it applies to your entity and process. RFPwon fits as the live pricing step after you have chosen eligible vendors and finalized the work and terms.
- Do we have to change how we solicit?
- No. Keep RFP, evaluation, and contract in your existing systems. RFPwon runs the live pricing event and exports the record into your award file.
- What happens to the savings?
- Verified savings stay with your department to reinvest. RFPwon collects 10% of that amount at close. You keep 90%. No savings, no fee. See pricing for a worked example.
- Can we limit who bids?
- You set the criteria, things like bonding, licensing, or local experience. Anyone who meets them can register. That's what keeps the savings easy to stand behind later.
- Can we show city council or commissioners court how the event ran?
- Yes. Every registration, bid, and timestamp gets logged automatically. Export it whenever you need it, with attached policies and award notes for city council, commissioners court, or your board.
Run one before your fiscal year closes
Unused budget doesn't roll over. Run a private reverse auction open to the vendors you already trust and any qualified vendor who wants in. Keep 90% of verified savings to reinvest before the year ends. No upfront cost to your department.