By Janek H.B. No. 2926
Substitute the following for H.B. No. 2926:
By Longoria C.S.H.B. No. 2926
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to request for proposal purchasing procedures for certain
1-3 counties.
1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. Section 262.030, Government Code, is amended to
1-6 read as follows:
1-7 Sec. 262.030. Alternative Competitive Proposal Procedure for
1-8 Insurance, <or> High Technology Items or other items
1-9 (a) Except for subsection (d) of this section, the
1-10 competitive proposal procedure provided by this section may be used
1-11 for the purchase of insurance or high technology items. Quotations
1-12 must be solicited through a request for proposals. Public notice
1-13 for the request for proposals must be made in the same manner as
1-14 provided in the competitive bidding procedure. The request for
1-15 proposals must specify the relative importance of price and other
1-16 evaluation factors. The award of the contract shall be made to the
1-17 responsible offeror whose proposal is determined to be the lowest
1-18 evaluated offer resulting from negotiation, taking into
1-19 consideration the relative importance of price and other evaluation
1-20 factors set forth in the request for proposals.
1-21 (b) If provided in the request for proposals, proposals
1-22 shall be opened so as to avoid disclosure of contents to competing
1-23 offerors and kept secret during the process of negotiation. All
2-1 proposals that have been submitted shall be available and open for
2-2 public inspection after the contract is awarded, except for trade
2-3 secrets and confidential information contained in the proposals and
2-4 identified as such.
2-5 (c) As provided in the request for proposals and under rules
2-6 adopted by the commissioners court, discussions may be conducted
2-7 with responsible offerors who submit proposals determined to be
2-8 reasonably susceptible of being selected for award. Offerors must
2-9 be accorded fair and equal treatment with respect to any
2-10 opportunity for discussion and revision of proposals, and revisions
2-11 may be permitted after submission and before award for the purpose
2-12 of obtaining best and final offers.
2-13 (d) A county having a population of 2,400,000 or more
2-14 according to the most recent federal census may use the competitive
2-15 proposal purchasing method authorized by this section for the
2-16 purchase of insurance or high technology items. In addition, the
2-17 method may be used to purchase other items when the county official
2-18 who makes purchases for the county determines, with the consent of
2-19 the commissioners court, that it is in the best interest of the
2-20 county to make a request for proposals.
2-21 SECTION 2. The importance of this legislation and the
2-22 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-23 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-24 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-25 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.