California Assembly Bill AB720 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 720AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 9, 2011 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 25, 2011 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Hall FEBRUARY 17, 2011 An act to amend Sections 22031 and 22032 of the Public Contract Code, relating to public contracts. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 720, as amended, Hall. Public contracts: uniform construction cost accounting provisions: alternative procedures. Existing law establishes procedures for local public agencies to follow when engaged in public works projects, and authorizes agencies to elect to become subject to uniform construction cost accounting provisions. Existing law specifies that a board of supervisors or a county road commissioner is not prohibited by those provisions from utilizing, as an alternative, other procedures governing county highway contracts. This bill would revise the above provision that specifies that a board of supervisors or a county road commissioner is not prohibited from using alternative procedures governing county highway contracts to limit the use of those alternative procedures for maintenance and emergency work. Existing law authorizes public projects of $30,000 or less to be performed by the employees of the public agency by force account, negotiated contract, or purchase order. This bill would increase  that authorization   the amount for which public projects are authorized to be performed by the employees of the public agency as specified above  to $45,000. Existing law also  authorizes public projects of $125,000 or less to be let to contract by informal procedures, as specified, and  requires public projects of more than $125,000 to be let to contract by formal bidding procedure, except as provided. This bill  would increase the amount for which public projects are authorized to be let to contract by informal procedures to $175,000, and  would increase  that   the  amount for which public  contracts   projects  are required to be let by formal bidding procedure to projects of more than $175,000. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 22031 of the Public Contract Code is amended to read: 22031. Nothing in this article shall prohibit a board of supervisors or a county road commissioner from utilizing, as an alternative to the procedures set forth in this article, the procedures set forth in Article 25 (commencing with Section 20390) of Chapter 1 for maintenance and emergency work. SEC. 2. Section 22032 of the Public Contract Code is amended to read: 22032. (a) Public projects of forty-five thousand dollars ($45,000) or less may be performed by the employees of a public agency by force account, by negotiated contract, or by purchase order. (b) Public projects of one hundred seventy-five thousand dollars ($175,000) or less may be let to contract by informal procedures as set forth in this article. (c) Public projects of more than one hundred  twenty-five   seventy-five  thousand dollars  ($125,000)   ($175,000)  shall, except as otherwise provided in this article, be let to contract by formal bidding procedure.