The Interlocal Purchasing System, better known as, TIPS Purchasing Cooperative, began in 2002 as a small regional cooperative of the Region 8 Education Service Center. All TIPS contracts are awarded by the ESC 8 seven-member Board of Directors, and each TIPS vendor has met strict Competitive Bidding Process guidelines established by the ESC 8 administration and the TIPS legal team. The bidding statute for the lead agency is Chapter 44.031 of the Texas Education Code.