HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  SB 5857

             As Reported By House Committee On:

                    Government Operations

Title:  An act relating to public works subletting and subcontracting.

Brief Description:  Revising the procedure for identifying subcontractors for specified public works contracts.

Sponsors:  Senators Morton, Pelz, Heavey, McCaslin, Fraser, Moyer, Hochstatter, Deccio, Palmer and Schow.

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Government Operations:  3/29/95 [DP].

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS

Majority Report:  Do pass.  Signed by 15 members:  Representatives Reams, Chairman; Goldsmith, Vice Chairman; L. Thomas, Vice Chairman; Rust, Ranking Minority Member; Scott, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Chopp; R. Fisher; Hargrove; Honeyford; Hymes; Mulliken; D. Schmidt; Sommers; Van Luven and Wolfe.

Staff:  Bonnie Austin (786-7135).

Background:  Those who bid on any public works contract of $100,000 or more must submit as part of the bid, or within one hour after the published bid submittal time, the names of all subcontractors whose subcontract amount is more than 10 percent of the contract price.  Failure to list these subcontractors in the manner prescribed by statute renders the bid void.

Summary of Bill:  Those who bid on public works contracts of $100,000 or more must submit the names of all subcontractors whose subcontracts are more than 10 percent of the bid price.  Other technical clarifying changes are made.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  The language deleted is superfluous.  However, in at least two cases, bid losers have challenged the award on the technical ground that the contractor didn't write "none" under categories of work not being subcontracted.  The Department of General Administration also agrees that the language is redundant.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Senator Bob Morton, prime sponsor;  Larry Stevens, United Subcontractors Association; Rick Slunaker, Associated General Contractors; Jim Bush, Department of Transportation; and Eric Berger, County Road Administration Board.