Public entities outside Texas. Through this Cooperative Contracts Program, DIR assists Texas state agencies, local governments, and eligible customers with cost-effective acquisition of their information technology resources, including staff augmentation services, by negotiating, managing, and administering contracts with information technology providers to: Ensure quality and consistency of services for customers through the establishment of estimated market rates, category descriptions, and associated high-level title and level descriptions; Expand offerings, including an internship level for each category to provide institutions of higher education and eligible job placement programs an avenue to assist placement of interns; Provide the flexibility to allow for competition for highly skilled, sought after, and specialized personnel;