Ethics Guidelines
All vendors or persons doing business with the City of New Braunfels are required to follow the City’s Code of Ethics.
- Keeping competition fair and open.
- Maintaining consistent procurement policies and principles.
- Observing strict truthfulness in all transactions and correspondence.
- Respecting the confidence of sales personnel and their companies as to confidential or proprietary information, as well as being scrupulous about maintaining the highest level of business ethics when dealing with sources and City departments.
Authorized Contact Persons
The persons listed in each solicitation may be contacted for information regarding the Invitation for Proposals. If the Proposer contacts any other City employee, including Council Members and members of Boards and Commissions, the Proposer may be found in violation regarding Anti-Lobbying and Procurement.
- Local Government Code- Chapter 176
- Certificate of Interested Parties (HB 1295)
- Anti-Lobbying Policy/Cone of Silence
Local Government Code- Chapter 176
The Texas legislature enacted House Bill 914 which added Chapter 176 to the Texas local Government Code, Chapter 176 mandates the public disclosure of certain information concerning pe4rsond doing business or seeking to do business with the City of New Braunfels, including affiliations and business and financial relations such persons may have with City of New Braunfels officers. An explanation of the requirement of Chapter 176 , the applicable form and a complete text of the law are at the link below.
In 2015, the Texas Legislature adopted House Bill 1295, which added section 2252.908 of the Government Code. The law states that a governmental entity or state agency may not enter into certain contracts with a business entity unless the business entity submits a disclosure of interested parties to the governmental entity or state agency at the time the business entity submits the signed contract to the governmental entity or state agency.
The law applies only to a contract of a governmental entity or state agency that either (1) requires an action or vote by the governing body of the entity or agency before the contract may be signed or (2) has a value of at least $1 million. The disclosure requirement applies to a contract entered into on or after January 1, 2016.
The Standard Filing Process Form 1295 must be completed online and is available here.
The City’s Anti-Lobbying/Cone of Silence Policy was adopted to ensure a fair and competitive bidding environment by preventing communication or lobbying between City Officials, employees, or representatives and parties involved in the bidding process that could create an unfair advantage to any party with respect to the award of a City contract.
The City’s Cone of Silence/Anti-Lobbying Policy prohibits any communication or lobbying activities with City officials, employees and/or its consultants or contractors on matters of a solicitation from its advertisement through the date said item is posted on the forthcoming City Council agenda. During a no-contact period, a bidder shall make a representation only through the authorized contact person.
In the case of an unsolicited or competing proposal for a public-private partnership, the period shall commence on the date that the City receives a notice of intent from a vendor declaring its intention to submit an unsolicited proposal and will end the on the date the notice of award has been posted on the City Council agenda. All provisions of the Cone of Silence/Anti-Lobbying Policy are hereby incorporated by reference.