HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                      Olympia, Washington

Bill Analysis      Bill No. HB 2399

Use of small works rosters by state agencies         Hrg. Date: 1/21/98 

Brief Title

Reps. Romero/D. Schmidt                                   Staff Contact: S. Lundin

Sponsor                                    Comm. on Govt. Admin.

                                           Phone: 786-7127

BACKGROUND:

The Department of General Administration, Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Department of Natural Resources, and the State Parks and Recreation Commission may establish a small works roster to award contracts for construction, repair, or alteration projects with an estimated cost of less than $100,000.

At least once a year the agency must advertise in a newspaper of general circulation for contractors desiring to be included on the roster.  The agency must include all qualified contractors requesting to be included.  A small works roster may include distinctions between contractors based upon geographic areas served and the nature of the work that the contractor is qualified to perform.

An agency using the small works roster process must solicit quotes from at least five contractors on a small works roster for the category of work involved.  Contractors are randomly selected in a manner that equitably distributes the opportunity for these contracts among contractors on the roster, but at least one bid must be solicited from a certified women owned contractor or certified minority owned contractor.  The agency must either award the contract to the party with the lowest quotation or reject all quotations.  However, the agency must advertise and competitively  bid the project if at least two responsive quotations are not received.  As a part of this publically bidding process, the agency must invite at least one proposal from a certified minority owned contractor or certified women owned contractor that is qualified to perform the work.

The director of the Department of General Administration is required to establish procedural rules for agencies to use for prequalifying contractors on their small works rosters.

                                                     Continued

HB 2399 - Page 2

SUMMARY:

The Department of Transportation is allowed to use the small works roster process to award contracts for construction, repair, or alteration.

The process is altered for awarding contracts using a small works roster.  An agency must either make a good faith effort to solicit quotations from all contractors on the roster that have indicated capability to perform the kind of work involved in the project quotations or must solicit quotations from at least five contractors willing to perform work in the geographic area.  Quotations may be made by telephone, electronically, or in writing.  The requirements are eliminated that at least two responsive bids must be obtained before a contract may be awarded using the small works roster and that an agency may only solicit bids once using the small works roster process before it is required to competitively bid the project.

The procedure to prequalify contractors is renamed as a procedure to qualify contractors.

FISCAL NOTE:  Not requested.

EFFECTIVE DATE:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.