By: Holland (Senate Sponsor - LaMantia) H.B. No. 2777

(In the Senate - Received from the House April 24, 2023; May 1, 2023, read first time and referred to Committee on Water, Agriculture & Rural Affairs; May 9, 2023, reported adversely, with favorable Committee Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 8, Nays 0; May 9, 2023, sent to printer.) Click here to see the committee vote

COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR H.B. No. 2777 By: Hancock

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the contracting authority of the Parks and Wildlife Department.

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

SECTION 1. Section 11.0171, Parks and Wildlife Code, is amended by adding Subsections (c) and (d) to read as follows:

(c) The executive director may negotiate with and award a contract for goods or services to any qualified vendor if the executive director:

(1) solicits bids for the goods or services through a competitive process in compliance with all applicable laws, including Chapters 2155, 2254, and 2269, Government Code, that fails to result in competitive responsive bids;

(2) makes a written determination that resoliciting bids for the goods or services would:

(A) be unlikely to result in responsive bids;

(B) increase costs to the department; or

(C) delay the ability of the department to address a critical need; and

(3) determines that the vendor meets the requirements of the original solicitation.

(d) To the extent practicable, the executive director may combine the procurement of multiple goods or services into a single competitively bid contract to enhance the contract's attraction for potential vendors.

SECTION 2. Section 11.0171(c), Parks and Wildlife Code, as added by this Act, applies only to a contract for which bids are first solicited on or after the effective date of this Act. A contract for which bids are first solicited before the effective date of this Act is governed by the law as it existed immediately before the effective date of this Act, and that law is continued in effect for that purpose.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2023.

* * * * *