By Culberson H.B. No. 2673
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to the competitive bidding requirements of certain
1-3 government entities.
1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. Subsections (a), (b) and (c), Section 252.021,
1-6 Local Government Code, are amended to read as follows:
1-7 (a) Except as provided in Subsection (b) below, before a
1-8 municipality <with 50,000 or more inhabitants> may enter into a
1-9 contract that requires an expenditure of more than $25,000
1-10 <$10,000> from one or more municipal funds, the municipality must
1-11 comply with the procedures prescribed by this chapter for
1-12 competitive bids or competitive sealed proposals.
1-13 (b) Before a municipality with fewer than 1,500,000
1-14 inhabitants may enter into a contract for insurance that requires
1-15 an expenditure of more than $5,000 from one or more municipal
1-16 funds, the municipality must comply with the procedure prescribed
1-17 in this chapter for competitive bids or competitive sealed
1-18 proposals <Before a municipality with fewer than 50,000 inhabitants
1-19 may enter into a contract that requires an expenditure of more than
1-20 $5,000, the municipality must comply with the procedure prescribed
1-21 by this chapter for competitive sealed bidding or competitive
1-22 sealed proposals>.
1-23 (c) A municipality may use the competitive sealed proposal
2-1 procedure only for the purchase of insurance or for high technology
2-2 procurements.
2-3 SECTION 2. Section 252.042, Local Government Code, is
2-4 amended to read as follows:
2-5 Section 252.042. Requests for Proposals for Insurance and
2-6 High Technology Procurements.
2-7 (a) Requests for proposals made under Section 252.021 must
2-8 solicit quotations and must specify the relative importance of
2-9 price and other evaluation factors.
2-10 (b) Discussion in accordance with the terms of a request for
2-11 proposals and with regulations adopted by the governing body of the
2-12 municipality may be conducted with offerors who submit proposals
2-13 and who are determined to be reasonably qualified for the award of
2-14 the contract. Offerors shall be treated fairly and equally with
2-15 respect to any opportunity for discussion and revision of
2-16 proposals. To obtain the best final offers, revisions may be
2-17 permitted after submissions and before the award of the contract.
2-18 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the
2-19 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-20 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-21 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-22 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
2-23 and this rule is hereby suspended.