Overview
The Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) is the state's central IT agency — it sets statewide technology policy, owns the procurement vehicles most Texas public entities buy through, and delivers shared services (data center, cloud, network, security). DIR is best understood as the conduit for Texas public-sector technology rather than a large end spender: the DIR Cooperative Contracts program drove more than $3.4B in customer purchases over the last three fiscal years, and eligible state agencies, local governments, K-12, and higher-ed can buy off those pre-competed contracts without running their own RFP.
DIR also operates Shared Technology Services (STS) — consolidated data-center and cloud capacity — and enforces TX-RAMP, the cloud-security certification gate.
One structural change is in motion: cybersecurity functions are migrating out of DIR into the new Texas Cyber Command, a transition slated to complete by December 31, 2026.
How this account buys
- DIR itself is a modest direct spender — the real motion is selling through DIR's Cooperative Contracts and Shared Technology Services (STS) to the entire Texas public sector.
- Chief Procurement Officer Lisa Massock owns Cooperative Contracts, RFOs, and vendor onboarding — the gate onto the co-op.
- Funding is cost-recovery on vehicles and shared services rather than a large GR line; State CIO Tony Sauerhoff sets statewide technology direction.
- Approval gate: TX-RAMP certification for any cloud / as-a-service offering — clear it before pursuing state deals; cyber programs are migrating to Texas Cyber Command by end of 2026.
- Fastest vehicle: DIR Cooperative Contracts (pre-competed, no separate RFP); STS is the route for consolidated infrastructure and managed services.
Where Dell Can Play
- Confirm Dell's DIR Cooperative Contract coverage and reseller scope — it's the access path to the entire Texas public sector, not just DIR itself.
- Lead with AI-infrastructure and ISG through STS and the co-op, tied to the statewide data-center and semiconductor buildout.
- Clear TX-RAMP early for any cloud / as-a-service play that touches state data.
- Track the DIR → Texas Cyber Command security migration and build the relationship with the new buying center in San Antonio.
Budget & Fiscal
DIR isn't a large direct spender — its leverage shows up as the volume flowing through its vehicles rather than its own appropriation. The state's 2026–27 biennial budget is $337.4B (largest in Texas history), and DIR's Cooperative Contracts program moved $3.4B+ in customer purchases over the last three fiscal years.
$3.4B+
Co-op purchases (3 yr)
Customer purchases via DIR Cooperative Contracts
$337.4B
State biennial budget
2026–27; the pool DIR-vehicle buys draw from
$135M
Texas Cyber Command
GR through 2027; cyber moving out of DIR
- DIR funds much of its delivery through cost recovery on its vehicles and shared services, not a large general-revenue line.
- The largest agency IT budgets (HHSC, TxDOT, etc.) sit with those agencies — DIR is the path, not the wallet.
Initiatives & Priorities
Cyber functions → Texas Cyber Command
DIR's cybersecurity operations are migrating to the new standalone Texas Cyber Command (San Antonio) by Dec 31, 2026. Re-map the security buying center and confirm which entity owns a given program before forecasting.
Cybersecurity TransitionTX-RAMP cloud certification
DIR continues to run and tighten TX-RAMP. Cloud / as-a-service offerings need the right certification level to be sellable to state entities — a gate to clear early.
Cloud ComplianceShared Technology Services modernization
Consolidated data-center and cloud services are an ongoing modernization track — infrastructure refresh, hybrid cloud, and managed services across participating agencies.
Data Center ModernizationProcurement
Selling to or through DIR runs on pre-competed vehicles, not one-off RFPs. Two things to confirm first: that Dell's DIR Cooperative Contracts are active and correctly scoped, and that any cloud / as-a-service offering holds the right TX-RAMP level.
| Vehicle / gate | What it means for Dell |
|---|---|
| DIR Cooperative Contracts | The primary vehicle — pre-competed and open to state agencies, local gov, K-12, and higher-ed. $3.4B+ in purchases over the last three FYs. |
| Shared Technology Services (STS) | DIR-delivered data-center, cloud, and managed services for participating agencies — a route for infrastructure and as-a-service. |
| TX-RAMP certification | Mandatory gate: agencies may only use cloud services certified at the right NIST 800-53 (Low/Moderate) level. Clear this before pursuing cloud/aaS deals. |
Spend Signals
GovSpend · as of Sep 21, 2026$712K
Dell footprint — all channels (3-yr · FY2023–2025), est.
Direct $712K · via resellers ~$0
Dell vs. competitors (spend, payee)
Brand footprint — all channels (est.)
Higher of two conservative lenses: product-name match · manufacturer tag. Both undercount — treat as floors.
Top IT categories
$23.1MTechnical
$6.5MSoftware
$2MIT Security Software
$2MNetworking Equipment
$1.7MIT Staffing Services
$1.5MDBITS
Expiring contracts (re-compete)
| Contract | Vendor | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware Technical Services (DIR-CPO-5093) statewide vehicle | Cdw Government Llc | Nov 21, 2026 |
| Data Storage Miscellaneous (DIR-CPO-5400) statewide vehicle | Pure Storage Inc | Nov 25, 2026 |
| Hardware Software Technical Services (DIR-CPO-5532) statewide vehicle | Presidio Networked Solutions Group Llc | Dec 2, 2026 |
| Hardware Software Technical Services (DIR-CPO-5096) statewide vehicle | Td Synnex Corporation | Dec 21, 2026 |
| Networking Products and Services, Routers, Data Storage, Misc IT Hardware (DIR-CPO-5347) statewide vehicle | Cisco Systems Inc | Jan 7, 2027 |
| Apple Branded Products: Computers, Laptops, Tablets (DIR-CPO-5126) statewide vehicle | Cdw Government Llc | Jan 11, 2027 |
| Misc IT Hardware, Peripherals, Components and Related Services (DIR-CPO-5094) statewide vehicle | Shi Government Solutions Inc | Jan 30, 2027 |
Open bids / RFPs
| Solicitation | Due |
|---|---|
| Cabling Service and Related Products Texas Department of Information Resources | Sep 24, 2026 |
| Managed Network Services (MNS) Texas Department of Information Resources | Sep 25, 2026 |
| End-User IT Outsourcing Services Texas Department of Information Resources | Oct 20, 2026 |
- DIR's own PO footprint is small relative to the $3.4B+ that flows through its Cooperative Contracts — these figures cover DIR as a direct buyer only, not co-op volume purchased by other entities.
- Payee lens (vendorSpend) counts dollars paid to each vendor; brand lens (brandFootprint/dellFootprint) uses product-name text matching across all channels and is a conservative floor.
- Window is PO issue dates Oct 2022–Sep 2025, the hub-standard calendar window; Texas state FY actually runs Sep–Aug.
- Bid and contract panels refreshed 2026-09-21 from GovSpend (agencyId 34169): 3 open bids due on or after 2026-09-21 and 7 contracts ending on or after 2026-10-05 (two-week runway), IT-relevant only. Contracts marked "statewide vehicle" are agreements Texas DIR — Department of Information Resources holds for use statewide; purchases under them are made by other agencies (often local governments too), so they show where IT buying runs through this account rather than its own spend. agencyId 34169 resolved by lookup (exact match); contracts found via the vendor-filter route (46 hardware/reseller contracts in window).
Power Structure
| Decision-maker | Why they matter |
|---|---|
| Tony Sauerhoff State CIO & DIR Executive Director (Chief AI & Innovation Officer role evolved into new Office of the CIO led by internal CIO Amy Kelley, hired Aug 2026) | Confirmed permanent (interim since Jan 2026, board-selected/confirmed early 2026). AI-forward — retains the Chief AI & Innovation Officer hat and is GovRAMP board president. The top relationship for the DIR motion. |
| Lisa Massock DIR Chief Procurement Officer | Owns the Cooperative Contracts, RFOs, and vendor onboarding — the path onto the co-op. (Name per DIR executive bios; verify before outreach.) |
| DIR Shared Technology Services (STS) Data center / cloud / network services | Buying center for consolidated infrastructure and managed services. Now also hosts a small vendor-focused security team created during the cyber transition. |
| TX-RAMP program (DIR, transferring) Cloud-security certification gate | DIR still runs TX-RAMP (Program Manual 4.0, effective 2026) but the program's duties are slated to move to the Texas Cyber Command by Dec 31, 2026. DIR no longer lists a standalone statewide CISO — cyber ops transferred to TXCC (chief: retired Vice Adm. TJ White, San Antonio). Confirm which entity owns TX-RAMP before forecasting security deals. |
News & Signals
Aug 2026
DIR publishes AI framework implementing 89th Legislature laws (AI Division, sandbox, TAC Ch. 219)
DIR detailed its implementation of the 89th Legislature's AI laws: SB 1964 (AI governance framework and Public Sector AI Sandbox), HB 2818 (DIR AI Division), HB 3512 (annual AI awareness training), and HB 149 (AI use disclosures, Texas AI Council, expanded deployment review with agency AI inventories), plus adoption of TAC Chapter 219 with an AI Systems Code of Ethics and a model AI Acceptable Use Policy. It also reports 27+ AI Cooperative Contracts. For a Dell SLG seller, this codifies statewide AI governance requirements and AI-buying pathways that shape how AI-ready infrastructure and services are sold to Texas public-sector customers.
Aug 2026
DIR awards first-in-nation AI Governance BPA to Darwin AI via Carahsoft
DIR awarded a Bulk Purchase Agreement (BP2026-0015) to Darwin AI, facilitated by Carahsoft — described as the first AI-governance BPA of its kind nationwide — letting Texas public-sector entities (and potentially other states) buy AI governance platforms at state-negotiated prices without separate competitive procurements. This operationalizes the 89th Legislature's AI oversight mandates through a ready-made contract vehicle. For a Dell SLG seller, it signals how AI-governance and AI-adjacent solutions are being routed through DIR vehicles and where compliance-driven demand is forming.
Aug 2026
DIR names Amy Kelley internal CIO, renames division Office of the CIO overseeing IT and AI
DIR hired Amy Kelley (25+ years in Texas state/local IT, ex-TMRS information security director) as its internal CIO — the final executive hire completing the leadership team — heading a renamed Office of the Chief Information Officer that oversees the agency's internal IT infrastructure/services and the AI division established by HB 2818. This centralizes DIR's internal IT and AI leadership under a new named executive. For a Dell SLG seller, it establishes a fresh internal-IT decision-maker and reinforces AI-division buildout as a demand driver.
Sep 2026
DIR to release broad statewide cybersecurity Co-op procurement; ending branded solicitations
DIR announced a broad statewide RFO for cybersecurity products/services — spanning data/file security, encryption, monitoring/threat alerting, backup and recovery, firewalls, biometric authentication, and more — with resulting indefinite-quantity Cooperative Contracts available to state agencies, local governments, and schools. Critically, DIR said it is transitioning away from branded contracts and will not publish future branded solicitations. For a Dell SLG seller, this reshapes how security offerings must be positioned on the co-op vehicle and signals a large new competitive procurement window (vendor questions due Oct 14, responses Nov 18).
Jun 2026
DIR launches Texas Design System — 37 reusable, WCAG 2.2 AA web components (per HB 5195)
Statewide website-modernization push DIR now stewards; a services/experience track distinct from infrastructure — a lever for digital-modernization and accessibility offerings across agencies.
May 2026
DIR details cyber transition: employees/functions moved to Texas Cyber Command (eff. Mar 1); DIR keeps only internal + STS vendor-compliance security teams
Prohibited-technologies program and the federal State & Local Cybersecurity Grant Program moved to TXCC. DIR retains no standalone statewide CISO — re-map the security buying center to TXCC (San Antonio) while confirming TX-RAMP ownership.
Apr 2026
DIR confirms cyber transition to Texas Cyber Command completes by Dec 31, 2026
Security decision-making and budget shift to the new agency — rebuild the relationship map for the security buying center.
Mar 2026
Tony Sauerhoff confirmed permanent State CIO & DIR Executive Director
Stable, AI-forward leadership at the top of the statewide motion.
Feb 2026
TX-RAMP Program Manual updated to v4.0
Refreshed cloud-security certification requirements; re-check that any cloud / as-a-service offering meets the current TX-RAMP level before pursuing state deals.
Sources
- Texas DIR — Cybersecurity Functions Transition to the Texas Cyber Command
- GovTech Insider — DIR Outlines Cybersecurity Transition to Texas Cyber Command (May 21, 2026)
- Texas DIR — DIR Launches Texas Design System (June 9, 2026)
- Texas DIR — Executive Biographies (leadership roster)
- Texas DIR — TX-RAMP (Program Manual 4.0, 2026)
- Texas DIR — Cooperative Contracts
- GovTech — Texas confirms Tony Sauerhoff as State CIO, DIR Leader
- Texas Cyber Command — Cybersecurity Transition (TXCC, chief TJ White)
- Government Technology — Texas to Release Broad Statewide Cybersecurity Procurement
- Government Technology (Insider) — DIR Hires Internal CIO, Plans to Rename Internal Division
- Govly — Texas DIR Awards AI Governance BPA
- Texas DIR — AI in Texas: DIR Implementation of Laws from the 89th Legislature