The City of Brownsville has formed a new partnership with Civic Marketplace and the Alliance for Innovation (AFI) to expand access to cooperative purchasing opportunities for public entities across the United States.
The initiative reflects the City’s continued commitment to strengthening procurement practices, improving transparency, and positioning Brownsville as a regional leader in cooperative contracting. Through this partnership, the City will make a broad inventory of its competitively awarded cooperative contracts available through the Civic Marketplace platform. The initiative will also support future solicitations that are designed to be cooperative, where appropriate and in alignment with applicable procurement requirements.
These contracts will be available to qualifying public entities both locally and nationally, helping streamline purchasing, reduce administrative burden, and expand access to high-value procurement options.
“Our procurement team has embraced this initiative because it builds on the innovative thinking already happening within our departments,” said Alan Guard, Brownsville City Manager. “This is about empowering our staff to be strategic, to validate decisions, and to position Brownsville as a model for thoughtful public and local purchasing.”
Brownsville is the 18th most populous City in Texas and serves as a critical economic and logistics hub in South Texas. With a population nearing 200,000, a major international shipping port, and proximity to advanced aerospace and manufacturing activity, the City plays an important role in regional and cross-border commerce. Its strategic location at the southern tip of Texas positions Brownsville to influence procurement, trade, and economic development opportunities across the Rio Grande Valley and beyond.
As part of the initiative, the City is advancing a more efficient and transparent procurement model that supports public entities nationwide while creating new opportunities for businesses local to Brownsville. When outside agencies utilize Brownsville-led contracts, the resulting activity can help increase exposure for local suppliers and strengthen regional economic development.
The partnership also includes a simultaneous First Quote Program, which will support the onboarding of thousands of vetted local suppliers and encourage departments to seek competitive quotes for purchases under formal bidding thresholds. This process is designed to improve price transparency, increase supplier participation, and support local business growth.
The system, powered by artificial intelligence-supported tools, will also assist departments in making faster and more informed procurement decisions. Staff will be able to test assumptions, identify potential savings, strengthen due diligence, and better document the research behind each purchase.
“The partnership includes targeted outreach and onboarding of local suppliers to support economic development through the First Quote Program,” said Damian Espinoza, Director of Procurement. “We view procurement as a way to build lasting economic connections with local businesses while enabling top-performing suppliers to grow beyond city boundaries. This approach strengthens the regional economy and increases the overall value of public purchasing.”
Civic Marketplace is a procurement platform built for local governments and is free for local, state, and education entities to use. The platform connects government buyers with pre-approved suppliers and is designed to help public agencies modernize procurement processes while maintaining compliance and quality standards.
“The City of Brownsville is demonstrating leadership in modern public procurement by prioritizing transparency, competition, and access for small and local businesses,” said Al Hleileh, Co-founder and CEO of Civic Marketplace. “We’re proud to support Brownsville as it expands the reach and impact of its procurement program nationwide.”
The Alliance for Innovation is a nonprofit association of governments dedicated to advancing innovation and excellence in local government. AFI supports public entities through research, peer networks, and professional development programs focused on operational efficiency, emerging technologies, and improved service delivery.
Public entities interested in exploring active cooperative contracts or learning more about the platform may visit civicmarketplace.com or contact the City of Brownsville Procurement Department at (956) 548-6082 or Procurement Department | Brownsville, TX.
