The Florida Senate

233.14  Bids or proposals; advertisement and its contents.--

(1)(a)  Beginning on or before May 15 of any year in which an instructional materials adoption is to be initiated, the Department of Education shall advertise in a newspaper published in Tallahassee, once each week for a period of 4 weeks preceding the date on which the bids shall be received, that at a certain designated time, not later than June 15, sealed bids or proposals to be deposited with the Department of Education will be received from publishers or manufacturers for the furnishing of instructional materials proposed to be adopted as listed in the advertisement beginning April 1 following the adoption.

(b)  The advertisement shall state that each bidder shall furnish specimen copies of all instructional materials submitted, at a time designated by the Department of Education, which specimen copies shall be identical with the copies approved and accepted by the members of the state instructional materials committee, as prescribed hereafter in this section, and with the copies furnished to the Department of Education and superintendents, as provided in s. 233.18.

(c)  The advertisement shall state that a contract covering the adoption of the instructional materials shall be for a definite term.

(d)  The advertisement shall fix the time within which the required contract must be executed and shall state that the department reserves the right to reject any or all bids or proposals.

(e)  The advertisement shall give information as to how specifications which have been adopted by the Department of Education in regard to paper, binding, cover boards, and mechanical makeup can be secured. In adopting specifications, the department shall make an exception for instructional materials that are college-level texts and that do not meet department physical specifications for secondary materials, if the publisher guarantees replacement during the term of the contract.

(2)  The bids or proposals submitted shall be for furnishing the designated materials in accordance with specifications of the department. The proposal or bid shall state the lowest wholesale price at which the materials will be furnished, at the time the adoption period provided in the contract begins, delivered f.o.b. to the Florida depository of the publisher, manufacturer, or bidder.

History.--s. 714, ch. 19355, 1939; CGL 1940 Supp. 892(226); s. 12, ch. 59-282; s. 8, ch. 67-438; ss. 10, 15, 35, ch. 69-106; s. 7, ch. 74-337; s. 18, ch. 75-284; s. 2, ch. 77-358; ss. 2, 7, ch. 80-125; s. 1, ch. 82-46; s. 2, ch. 83-265; s. 6, ch. 84-94; s. 2, ch. 89-189; ss. 10, 15, 16, ch. 91-182; s. 5, ch. 91-429.