Texas General Services Commission:

An Inventory of Meeting Records at the Texas State Archives, 1979-2002

Agency History

The General Services Commission (GSC) was established in 1919 as the State Board of Control, which consolidated the state’s purchasing, printing, and property management functions. The Board of Control was abolished in 1979, with the State Purchasing and General Services Commission (SPGSC) taking over its functions, personnel, records, and property (House Bill 1673, 66th Legislature, Regular Session). In 1991 the agency was renamed the General Services Commission. During its existence, a variety of responsibilities were added to and removed from the agency. The General Services Commission was abolished in 2001, effective February 2002, with most of its functions taken over by the newly created Texas Building and Procurement Commission (Senate Bill 311, 77th Legislature, Regular Session).

The State Purchasing and General Services Commission was composed of three members appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate for overlapping six-year terms. The governor appointed a chair annually. The commission was required to meet at least once per month, and two members constituted a quorum. The commission employed an executive director to manage the affairs of the commission under its direction. When the SPGSC was renamed the General Services Commission in 1991 (House Bill 39, 72nd Legislature, 2nd Called Session), the commission size increased to six members appointed by the governor for staggered six-year terms, with four members constituting a quorum. All members represented the general public. These were non-salaried positions, and the governor designated the chair.

At various times, the commission was responsible for providing a purchasing system for state agencies; providing maintenance, repair, and security of public buildings and grounds, mainly in the Capitol Complex; managing building construction, including monuments and memorials; acquiring real property in the Capitol Complex; leasing and renting space for state agencies; eliminating architectural barriers; providing for property accounting; managing surplus and salvage property of state agencies; operating telephone and mail services for state agencies; and establishing and maintaining standards and specifications for materials, supplies and equipment it purchased. With the creation of the State Preservation Board in 1983, the SPGSC lost the responsibility for the Texas State Capitol and its grounds and the Old General Land Office Building.

In 1991, the Capitol Complex security function was transferred to the Department of Public Safety, the program to remove architectural barriers for the handicapped was transferred to the Department of Licensing and Regulation, and the state property accounting system was transferred to the Comptroller's Office. In 1993 the General Services Commission took over the historically underutilized business (HUB) program from the Department of Commerce, the Fire and Safety section moved to the Commission on Fire Protection, and GSC absorbed the Surplus Property Agency, which had been created in 1945. The Council on Competitive Government was established in 1993 under the aegis of the General Services Commission. In 1995 the State Energy Conservation Office was moved from the Governor's Office to the GSC. In 1999 the State Energy Conservation Office and the Council on Competitive Government were transferred to the Comptroller's Office. In 1997 the 75th Texas Legislature, Regular Session passed Senate Bill 820 which charged the General Services Commission with establishing and operating an electronic procurement marketplace, including an electronic commerce network. Responsibility for providing telecommunications services for state government was transferred from the General Services Commission to the Department of Information Resources (DIR) effective September 2001. DIR was also authorized to share responsibility with the Building and Procurement System for the electronic procurement system.

In 1990 the SPGSC was authorized to have 874 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees and was organized into eight divisions--Building and Property Services, Central Purchasing, Centralized Services, Executive Administration, Facilities Construction and Space Management, Fiscal Management, Telecommunications Services, and Travel and Transportation--along with a Capitol Security unit. By 2000 the commission was authorized to have 811 FTE employees and had at least nine divisions: Building and Property Services, Business Services, Central Procurement, Facilities Construction and Space Management, State Cemetery, Surplus Property, Environmental Services, Support Services, and Telecommunications Services. The commission provided legal, clerical, and administrative support to the Texas Council on Purchasing from Persons with Disabilities.

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Scope and Contents of the Records

Records are minutes, agenda, and meeting supporting documentation, September 1979-January 2002, of the Texas General Services Commission and its predecessor, the Texas State Purchasing and General Services Commission. Minutes (and a few agenda and attachments) received from the Legislative Reference Library are included from September 1979 to October 2001. These minutes often include commissioners' signatures of approval. Beginning in June 1999, meeting packets were received from the commission. The packets include agenda, minutes of previous meetings submitted for approval, and meeting supporting documentation such as reports, charts, correspondence, memos, and plans. The agency's mission was to acquire and provide goods, services, and facilities for state agencies and other government entities. Topics of discussion at commission meetings include agency policies, budget, staff changes (especially the executive director), rule changes, computer systems, bids, contracts, purchasing, telecommunications systems, lease and purchase of property, construction projects, increases to change order contingency funds, space management, building maintenance operations and repairs, bond issuance by the Texas Public Building Authority, energy efficiency, parking, surplus property, travel services, resolutions, mail delivery, debarment of vendors from Centralized Master Bidders List, historically underutilized businesses, naming of buildings, and division status reports. Also included are a few minutes for the Open Records Steering Committee, 1995; Tex-An User Group, 1991-1993; Texas Capitol Rideshare Program, 1995; and Robert E. Johnson Building tenants, 1999.

Separate finding aids describe meeting records of the State Board of Control and Texas Building and Procurement Commission, predecessor and successor agencies to the General Services Commission.

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Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

None.

Restrictions on Use

Most records created by Texas state agencies are not copyrighted and may be freely used in any way. State records also include materials received by, not created by, state agencies. Copyright remains with the creator. The researcher is responsible for complying with U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17 U.S.C.).

Technical Requirements

None.

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Related Material

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

(Identify the item and cite the series), Meeting records, Texas General Services Commission. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Accession Information

Accession numbers: 1998/058; 2000/003; 2001/002; 2002/007; 2005/040

These records were transferred to the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission by the General Services Commission on January 7, 1998; June 22, 1999; September 7, 2000; September 12, 2001; and by the Legislative Reference Library in 2002 and on August 18, 2004.

Processing Information

Tonia J. Wood, October 2004

Location of Originals

Minutes and agenda for the General Services Commission and State Purchasing and General Services Commission can be requested through TBPC's Open Records Section.

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Detailed Description of the Records

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