S-4563               _______________________________________________

                                         SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL NO. 6175

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                              1990 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Economic Development & Labor (originally sponsored by Senators Craswell, Smitherman, Lee, Anderson and Johnson)

Read first time 1/24/90.

AN ACT Relating to centralization of information on agency bid requests; adding a new section to chapter 43.31 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 43.19 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 82.32 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     The legislature finds that there is currently no mechanism by which businesses may obtain information from a single source on all state agencies' requests for bids.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 43.31 RCW to read as follows:

          The business assistance center of the department of trade and economic development shall make available on its electronic bulletin board a listing of all open bids issued by state agencies.  The business assistance center shall develop and implement a marketing plan for this service to businesses in the state.

          The information made available on each bid shall include:

          (1) A summary of the goods or services being requested;

          (2) The start or delivery date specified in the bid request;

          (3) The name, address, and telephone number of an individual from whom a business can obtain a complete bid package and further information; and

          (4) When the bid is due.

          The bid information may also be made available on a subscription basis through the mail.  The business assistance center may charge a fee for bid information provided either electronically or through the mail to offset its costs.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.  A new section is added to chapter 43.19 RCW to read as follows:

          All state institutions, colleges, community colleges, and universities, the offices of the elective state officers, the supreme court, the court of appeals, the administrative and other departments of state government, and the offices of all appointive officers of the state shall, when soliciting bids, notify the business assistance center of the department of trade and economic development in a format prescribed by the business assistance center and where possible by direct input to the electronic bulletin board, or if not possible by direct input, by either providing the information on a compatible data disk or if a compatible data disk is not reasonably possible, in writing, of the bid solicitation so that the information may be made available on the center's electronic bulletin board.  The notification to the business assistance center shall include:

          (1) A summary of the goods or services being requested;

          (2) The start or delivery date specified in the bid request;

          (3) The name, address, and telephone number of an individual from whom a business can obtain a complete bid package and further information; and

          (4) When the bid is due.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.  A new section is added to chapter 82.32 RCW to read as follows:

          The department of revenue shall send out a notice on the availability of bid information provided by the business assistance center under section 2 of this act twice during fiscal year 1991 and once yearly thereafter to all businesses paying taxes in this state.