How to use the Texas ESBD and register on the CMBL

The Electronic State Business Daily (ESBD) is the Texas Comptroller's public list of bid opportunities. Sign-in is not required to view solicitations, and the agency list includes state agencies as well as local governments. To receive bid invitations, register on the Centralized Master Bidders List (CMBL), which costs $70 a year. A vendor is not required to be on the CMBL to do business with the state, but agencies use it to find vendors by product code and region.

What the ESBD is

The ESBD is a searchable database run by the Statewide Procurement Division of the Texas Comptroller. It has separate tabs for solicitations, awards with no solicitation, pre-solicitations and grant opportunities. State law has the Comptroller operate the ESBD so state agencies and other eligible entities can advertise pre-solicitation notices, solicitations, contract awards and grants.

Who posts there, and what is not there

State agencies must post a procurement they expect to exceed $25,000. The rule, Texas Government Code section 2155.083, also covers construction and professional or consulting services. It does not apply to a state agency covered by Education Code section 51.9335 or 73.115.

The agency filter on the ESBD lists state agencies, universities, community colleges, school districts, cities, counties and councils of governments. The posting rule is written for state agencies, so a city, county or district you want may not appear in the filter. Check its own website.

Smaller purchases fall outside that rule. The CMBL FAQ describes three tiers:

• Over $25,000: agencies must send notice to all active CMBL vendors with the matching class and item codes and highway districts.
• Over $10,000 to $25,000: agencies must solicit at least three active, matching CMBL vendors.
• Up to $10,000: competitive bids are not required, but they are encouraged. Agencies often refer to active, matching CMBL vendors.

Because the ESBD rule starts above $25,000, a purchase between $10,000 and $25,000 may never appear there. Being on the CMBL with matching codes is how you get invited.

How long you have to respond

In our data, the median Texas bid gave 22.3 days (1,023 bids due August to November 2026), per our analysis.

For state agency procurements over $25,000, a notice must stay posted for at least 21 calendar days, or at least 14 calendar days if the agency posts the whole solicitation package. The agency may not award the contract before that period ends, except in an emergency. A posting states which period applies, for example 14+ Days for Entire Solicitation Package.

What you need before you start

• Good standing with the state. If you have a franchise tax account, its status should be ACTIVE.
• An employer identification number (EIN) from the IRS. The Comptroller does not accept Social Security numbers for registration.
• Your business structure.
• The NIGP class and item codes closest to what you sell. The Comptroller publishes the NIGP codebook.
• The Texas highway districts where your products or services are available or deliverable.
• A unique user ID, email address, name, phone number and password for your user profile.
• The $70 annual fee, payable online by credit or debit card or electronic check with a U.S. address, or by paper check.

Register on the CMBL

• Get an EIN from the IRS if you do not have one.
• Go to the Comptroller's registration page, open the eSystems login and select Create Password.
• Set up your user ID, email address, name, phone number and password.
• Choose security questions and answers, accept the Terms of Use and complete the email verification.
• On the eSystems menu, select Apply for CMBL and follow the prompts.
• Pay the $70 fee online or by mail.

Each business location needs its own registration and its own $70 fee, and a two-year registration is not available. Allow up to 30 working days for applications sent in by mail with a check. An expiration notice goes out 40 to 45 days before your expiration date. For help, email e.cmbl@cpa.texas.gov. The Comptroller's CMBL page lists the help desk phone numbers.

Search the ESBD

Go to txsmartbuy.gov/esbd. You can filter by agency name or number, status, class and item code, keyword, solicitation ID and date range. Status choices are Posted, Awarded, No Award, Closed and Posting Cancelled. Date ranges include This Week, This Month and This Fiscal Year, plus last week, last month, last fiscal year and a custom range. You can export results to CSV, limited to 20,000 results.

Open a posting to see the contact person, response due date and time, posting requirement, class and item code, highway districts, description and attachments. To bid, follow the instructions in the solicitation and its attached documents.

Set the status to Awarded or Closed to review an agency's past bids before you decide to pursue its work.

Get notified

The CMBL is the master database purchasing entities use to develop a mailing list for vendors. For a state purchase over $25,000, an agency must send notice to the active CMBL vendors that match its class and item codes and highway districts. The Comptroller recommends an active, accurate email address on your CMBL profile so you get bid opportunities on time. Also run a keyword and code search on the ESBD each week, using This Week as the date range.

Easy to miss

• Select only the class and item codes closest to what you can provide. Opportunities are sent on the codes you select, so extra codes bring bids you cannot fill.
• Keep the profile current. The vendor is responsible for an up-to-date email address, and a lapsed annual registration means you stop receiving invitations.
• Register each location separately if you operate from several.

HUB certification is now VetHUB

The Comptroller's Historically Underutilized Business certification now runs as VetHUB (Veteran Heroes United in Business), which certifies service-disabled veterans. A business needs at least 51 percent ownership, management and operation by Texas resident owners who are service-disabled veterans with at least a 20 percent service disability, must be primarily based in Texas and must meet Small Business Administration size standards. The Comptroller revoked certifications based on race, ethnicity or sex unless the owners proved service-disabled veteran ownership and control.

Certification is free, lasts up to four years and takes up to 90 days to review. Only certified VetHUBs are listed in the VetHUB Directory. State agencies use the directory with the CMBL, and for purchases of $10,000 or less state entities can contact a business directly. State agencies must consider requiring a subcontracting plan for contracts expected to exceed $100,000, and under the rules effective May 12, 2026, prime contractors notify two VetHUBs for each subcontracting opportunity.

The CMBL is a separate list with its own $70 annual fee. A vendor that is VetHUB certified and also pays the CMBL fee in the same period gets one combined listing, and a VetHUB stays in the directory if the CMBL listing expires first. The VetHUB page lists the program's contact information.

Not every local buyer posts on the ESBD. Bid Monitoring checks thousands of local sources once a week and sends the matches, though no service covers every buyer.

Sources

• ESBD Solicitations search page, Texas Comptroller
• Example ESBD posting
• Texas Comptroller, CMBL
• How to Register as a Texas Vendor on the CMBL
• CMBL Frequently Asked Questions
• Veteran Heroes United in Business (VetHUB), Texas Comptroller
• VetHUB Frequently Asked Questions
• VetHUB Certification Process
• Texas Government Code chapter 2155, Texas Constitution and Statutes