HB 611

1
A bill to be entitled
2An act relating to public construction projects; amending
3s. 255.20, F.S.; revising exceptions to the requirement
4that certain public projects be competitively awarded;
5defining the term "maintenance"; prohibiting an exception
6if the local government contributed to a delay in funding
7or awarding a project; requiring a local government to
8support a decision to perform a project with its own
9employees and to make a factual finding that the project
10cost will be the same or less than the lowest bid;
11providing additional exceptions for projects related to
12public-use airports, certain ports, and certain public
13transit systems; authorizing a project to be awarded to a
14contractor that maintains a local presence under certain
15circumstances; providing an effective date.
16
17Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
18
19     Section 1.  Section 255.20, Florida Statutes, is amended to
20read:
21     255.20  Local bids and contracts for public construction
22works; specification of state-produced lumber.--
23     (1)  A county, municipality, special district as defined in
24chapter 189, or other political subdivision of the state seeking
25to construct, or improve, or repair a public building,
26structure, or other public construction works must competitively
27award to an appropriately licensed contractor each project that
28is estimated in accordance with generally accepted cost-
29accounting principles to cost have total construction project
30costs of more than $200,000. For electrical work, the local
31government must competitively award to an appropriately licensed
32contractor each project that is estimated in accordance with
33generally accepted cost-accounting principles to have a cost of
34more than $50,000. As used in this section, the term
35"competitively award" means to award contracts based on the
36submission of sealed bids, proposals submitted in response to a
37request for proposal, proposals submitted in response to a
38request for qualifications, or proposals submitted for
39competitive negotiation. This subsection expressly allows
40contracts for construction management services, design/build
41contracts, continuation contracts based on unit prices, and any
42other contract arrangement with a private sector contractor
43permitted by any applicable municipal or county ordinance, by
44district resolution, or by state law. For purposes of this
45section, cost includes construction costs include the cost of
46all labor, except inmate labor, and include the cost of
47equipment and materials to be used in the construction of the
48project. Subject to the provisions of subsection (3), the
49county, municipality, special district, or other political
50subdivision may establish, by municipal or county ordinance or
51special district resolution, procedures for conducting the
52bidding process.
53     (a)  Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, a
54governmental entity a county, municipality, special district as
55defined in chapter 189, or other political subdivision of the
56state seeking to construct or improve bridges, roads, streets,
57highways, or railroads, and services incidental thereto, at a
58cost costs in excess of $250,000 may require that persons
59interested in performing work under contract first be certified
60or qualified to perform such work. A Any contractor may be
61considered ineligible to bid by the governmental entity if the
62contractor is behind by 10 percent or more on completing an
63approved progress schedule for the governmental entity by 10
64percent or more at the time of advertising advertisement of the
65work. A prequalified Any contractor prequalified and considered
66eligible by the Department of Transportation to bid to perform
67the type of work described under the contract is shall be
68presumed to be qualified to perform the work described. The
69governmental entity may provide an appeal process to overcome
70that presumption with de novo review based on the record below
71to the circuit court.
72     (b)  For With respect to contractors who are not
73prequalified by with the Department of Transportation, the
74governmental entity shall publish prequalification criteria and
75procedures prior to advertisement or notice of solicitation.
76Such publications must shall include notice of a public hearing
77for comment on such criteria and procedures prior to adoption.
78The procedures must shall provide for an appeal process within
79the authority for making objections to the prequalification
80process with de novo review based on the record below to the
81circuit court within 30 days.
82     (c)  The provisions of this subsection do not apply:
83     1.  If When the project is undertaken to replace,
84reconstruct, or repair an existing public building, structure,
85or other public construction works facility damaged or destroyed
86by a sudden unexpected turn of events, such as an act of God,
87riot, fire, flood, accident, or other urgent circumstances, and
88such damage or destruction creates:
89     a.  An immediate danger to the public health or safety;
90     b.  Other loss to public or private property which requires
91emergency government action; or
92     c.  An interruption of an essential governmental service.
93     2.  If When, after notice by publication in accordance with
94the applicable ordinance or resolution, the governmental entity
95does not receive any responsive bids or proposals responses.
96     3.  To construction, remodeling, repair, or improvement to
97a public electric or gas utility system if when such work on the
98public utility system is performed by personnel of the system.
99     4.  To construction, remodeling, repair, or improvement by
100a utility commission whose major contracts are to construct and
101operate a public electric utility system.
102     5.  If When the project consists exclusively of is
103undertaken as repair or maintenance to a public building,
104structure, or other public construction works of an existing
105public facility. For the purposes of this section, the term
106"maintenance" means those minor repairs and associated tasks
107necessary to prevent the failure or decline of such facility
108without having to undertake any new construction, additions, or
109extensions.
110     6.  If When the project is undertaken exclusively as part
111of a public educational program.
112     7.  If When the funding source of the project will be
113diminished or lost because the time required to competitively
114award the project after the funds become available exceeds the
115time within which the funding source must be spent, and the
116governmental entity undertaking the project has not materially
117contributed to a delay in funding or in competitively awarding
118the project.
119     8.  If When the local government has competitively awarded
120a project to a private sector contractor and the contractor has
121abandoned the project before completion or the local government
122has terminated the contract.
123     9.  If the local government, after receiving competitive
124bids or proposals, decides to perform the project using its own
125services, employees, and equipment and complies with the
126provisions of this subparagraph. If the local government
127receives bids or proposals that are responsive but are all at
128least 10 percent greater than the local government's estimated
129cost of the project, When the governing board of the local
130government, after public notice, shall conduct conducts a public
131meeting under s. 286.011 and may decide finds by a majority vote
132of the governing board that it is in the public's best interest
133to perform the project using its own services, employees, and
134equipment. The public notice must be published at least 14 days
135before prior to the date of the public meeting at which the
136governing board takes final action to apply this subparagraph.
137The notice must identify the project and, the estimated cost of
138the project, and specify that the purpose for the public meeting
139is to consider whether it is in the public's best interest to
140perform the project using the local government's own services,
141employees, and equipment. The local government's decision In
142deciding whether it is in the public's best interest for local
143government to perform a project using its own services,
144employees, and equipment must be supported by a factual finding,
145subject to challenge under subsection (5), that the local
146government can perform the project at a cost equal to or less
147than the lowest cost-responsive bid or proposal received, using
148generally accepted cost-accounting principles that fully account
149for all local government costs associated with performing the
150project, including employee compensation and benefits,
151equipment, and materials, the governing board may consider the
152cost of the project, whether the project requires an increase in
153the number of government employees, an increase in capital
154expenditures for public facilities, equipment or other capital
155assets, the impact on local economic development, the impact on
156small and minority business owners, the impact on state and
157local tax revenues, whether the private sector contractors
158provide health insurance and other benefits equivalent to those
159provided by the local government, and any other factor relevant
160to what is in the public's best interest.
161     10.  If When the governing board of the local government
162determines upon consideration of specific substantive criteria
163and administrative procedures that it is in the best interest of
164the local government to award the project to an appropriately
165licensed private sector contractor pursuant according to
166administrative procedures established by and expressly set forth
167in a charter, ordinance, or resolution of the local government
168adopted before prior to July 1, 1994. The criteria and
169procedures must be set out in the charter, ordinance, or
170resolution and must be applied uniformly by the local government
171to avoid awarding a award of any project in an arbitrary or
172capricious manner. This exception applies only if shall apply
173when all of the following occur:
174     a.  When The governing board of the local government, after
175public notice, conducts a public meeting under s. 286.011 and
176finds by a two-thirds vote of the governing board that it is in
177the public's best interest to award the project according to the
178criteria and procedures established by charter, ordinance, or
179resolution. The public notice must be published at least 14 days
180before prior to the date of the public meeting at which the
181governing board takes final action to apply this subparagraph.
182The notice must identify the project, the estimated cost of the
183project, and specify that the purpose for the public meeting is
184to consider whether it is in the public's best interest to award
185the project using the criteria and procedures permitted by the
186preexisting charter, ordinance, or resolution.
187     b.  In the event The project is to be awarded by any method
188other than a competitive selection process, and the governing
189board finds must find evidence that:
190     (I)  There is one appropriately licensed contractor who is
191uniquely qualified to undertake the project because that
192contractor is currently under contract to perform work that is
193affiliated with the project; or
194     (II)  The time to competitively award the project will
195jeopardize the funding for the project, or will materially
196increase the cost of the project, or will create an undue
197hardship on the public health, safety, or welfare.
198     c.  In the event The project is to be awarded by any method
199other than a competitive selection process, and the published
200notice must clearly specifies specify the ordinance or
201resolution by which the private sector contractor will be
202selected and the criteria to be considered.
203     d.  In the event The project is to be awarded by a method
204other than a competitive selection process, and the architect or
205engineer of record has provided a written recommendation that
206the project be awarded to the private sector contractor without
207competitive selection,; and the consideration by, and the
208justification of, the government body are documented, in
209writing, in the project file and are presented to the governing
210board prior to the approval required in this paragraph.
211     11.  To projects subject to chapter 336.
212     (d)1.  If the project:
213     1.  Is to be awarded based on price, the contract must be
214awarded to the lowest qualified and responsive bidder in
215accordance with the applicable county or municipal ordinance or
216district resolution and in accordance with the applicable
217contract documents. The county, municipality, or special
218district may reserve the right to reject all bids and to rebid
219the project, or elect not to proceed with the project. This
220subsection is not intended to restrict the rights of any local
221government to reject the low bid of a nonqualified or
222nonresponsive bidder and to award the contract to any other
223qualified and responsive bidder in accordance with the standards
224and procedures of any applicable county or municipal ordinance
225or any resolution of a special district.
226     2.  If the project Uses a request for proposal or a request
227for qualifications, the request must be publicly advertised and
228the contract must be awarded in accordance with the applicable
229local ordinances.
230     3.  If the project Is subject to competitive negotiations,
231the contract must be awarded in accordance with s. 287.055.
232     (e)  If a construction project greater than $200,000, or
233$50,000 for electrical work, is started after October 1, 1999,
234and is to be performed by a local government using its own
235employees in a county or municipality that issues registered
236contractor licenses, and requires a the project would require a
237licensed contractor licensed under chapter 489 if performed by a
238private sector contractor, the local government must use a
239person appropriately registered or certified under chapter 489
240to supervise the work.
241     (f)  If a construction project greater than $200,000, or
242$50,000 for electrical work, is started after October 1, 1999,
243and is to be performed by a local government using its own
244employees in a county that does not issue registered contractor
245licenses, and requires a the project would require a licensed
246contractor licensed under chapter 489 if performed by a private
247sector contractor, the local government must use a person
248appropriately registered or certified under chapter 489 or a
249person appropriately licensed under chapter 471 to supervise the
250work.
251     (g)  Projects performed by a local government using its own
252services and employees must be inspected in the same manner as
253inspections required for work performed by private sector
254contractors.
255     (h)  A construction project provided for in this subsection
256may not be divided into more than one project for the purpose of
257evading this subsection.
258     (i)  This subsection does not preempt the requirements of
259any small-business or disadvantaged-business enterprise program
260or any local-preference ordinance.
261     (j)  A local government that owns or operates a public-use
262airport as defined in s. 332.004 is exempt from this section
263when performing repairs or maintenance on the airport's
264buildings, structures, or public construction works using the
265local government's own services, employees, and equipment.
266     (k)  A local government that owns or operates a port
267identified in s. 403.021(9)(b) is exempt from this section when
268performing repairs or maintenance on the port's buildings,
269structures, or public construction works using the local
270government's own services, employees, and equipment.
271     (l)  A local government that owns or operates a public
272transit system as defined in s. 343.52, a public transportation
273system as defined in s. 343.62, or a mass transit system
274described in s. 349.04(1)(b), is exempt from this section when
275performing repairs or maintenance on the buildings, structures,
276or public construction works of the public transit system,
277public transportation system, or mass transit system using the
278local government's own services, employees, and equipment.
279     (2)  The threshold amount of $200,000 for construction or
280$50,000 for electrical work must be adjusted by the percentage
281change in the Consumer Price Index from January 1, 1994, to
282January 1 of the year in which the project is scheduled to
283begin.
284     (3)  All county officials, boards of county commissioners,
285school boards, city councils, city commissioners, and all other
286public officers of state boards or commissions that are charged
287with the letting of contracts for public work, for the
288construction of public bridges, buildings, and other structures
289must always specify lumber, timber, and other forest products
290produced and manufactured in this state if whenever such
291products are available and their price, fitness, and quality are
292equal. This subsection does not apply to when plywood specified
293for monolithic concrete forms, if when the structural or service
294requirements for timber for a particular job cannot be supplied
295by native species, or if when the construction is financed in
296whole or in part from federal funds with the requirement
297requirements that there be no restrictions as to species or
298place of manufacture.
299     (4)  If two or more responsive bids or proposals for a
300project to be competitively awarded under this section are
301otherwise equal with respect to price, quality, and service, the
302local government may give preference to the contractor who
303maintains the greatest local presence within the local
304government's jurisdiction when awarding the project. For
305purposes of this subsection, "local presence" includes
306maintaining an office within the jurisdiction and employing
307individuals or hiring subcontractors within the jurisdiction.
308Except as provided in this subsection, a local government may
309not give any consideration to a contractor's local presence or
310similar criteria when evaluating bids or proposals or awarding a
311project.
312     (5)(4)  Any qualified contractor or vendor who could have
313been awarded the project had the project been competitively bid
314has shall have standing to challenge the propriety of a the
315local government's actions taken pursuant to when the local
316government seeks to invoke the provisions of this section. The
317prevailing party in such action is shall be entitled to recover
318its reasonable attorney's fees.
319     Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2009.


CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.