Archives > 1976 South Carolina Code of Laws - Previous Versions > 2001 Session > Title 11

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SECTION 11-35-10. Citation.

This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "South Carolina Consolidated Procurement Code".

SECTION 11-35-20. Purpose and policies.

The underlying purposes and policies of this code are:

(a) to provide increased economy in state procurement activities and to maximize to the fullest extent practicable the purchasing values of funds while ensuring that procurements are the most advantageous to the State and in compliance with the provisions of the Ethics Government Accountability and Campaign Reform Act;

(b) to foster effective broad-based competition for public procurement within the free enterprise system;

(c) to develop procurement capability responsive to appropriate user needs;

(d) to consolidate, clarify, and modernize the law governing procurement in this State and permit the continued development of explicit and thoroughly considered procurement policies and practices;

(e) to require the adoption of competitive procurement laws and practices by units of state and local governments;

(f) to ensure the fair and equitable treatment of all persons who deal with the procurement system which will promote increased public confidence in the procedures followed in public procurement;

(g) to provide safeguards for the maintenance of a procurement system of quality and integrity with clearly defined rules for ethical behavior on the part of all persons engaged in the public procurement process; and

(h) to develop an efficient and effective means of delegating roles and responsibilities to the various government procurement officers.

SECTION 11-35-30. Obligation of good faith.

Every contract or duty within this code imposes an obligation of good faith in its negotiation, performance or enforcement. "Good faith" means honesty in fact in the conduct or transaction concerned and the observance of reasonable commercial standards of fair dealing.

SECTION 11-35-40. Application of this Code.

(1) General Application. This code applies only to contracts solicited or entered into after the effective date of this code unless the parties agree to its application to a contract entered into prior to its effective date.

(2) Application to State Procurement. This code shall apply to every expenditure of funds by this State under contract acting through a governmental body as herein defined irrespective of the source of the funds, including federal assistance monies, except as specified in Section 11-35-40(3) (Compliance with Federal Requirements) and except as provided in Article 19 (Intergovernmental Relations). It shall also apply to the disposal of state supplies as provided in Article 15 (Supply Management). The provisions of this code shall apply to all procurements of information technology elements by any governmental body, irrespective of the source funds whether appropriated or not.

(3) Compliance with Federal Requirements. Where a procurement involves the expenditure of federal assistance or contract funds, the governmental body shall also comply with such federal law and authorized regulations as are mandatorily applicable and which are not presently reflected in the code. Notwithstanding, where federal assistance or contract funds are used in a procurement by a governmental body as defined in Section 11-35-310(18), requirements that are more restrictive than federal requirements shall be followed.

(4) The acquisition of any facility or capital improvement by a foundation or eleemosynary organization on behalf of or for the use of any state agency or institution of higher learning which involves the use of public funds in the acquisition, financing, construction, or current or subsequent leasing of the facility or capital improvement is subject to the provisions of this code in the same manner as any governmental body. The definition and application of the terms "acquisition", "financing", "construction", and "leasing" are governed by standards and principles established by the State Auditor.

SECTION 11-35-45. Payment for goods and services received by state.

(A) All vouchers for payment of purchases of goods or services shall be delivered to the Comptroller General's office within thirty work days from acceptance of the goods or services and proper invoice. After the thirtieth work day, following acceptance or the postmark on the invoice, the Comptroller General shall levy an amount not to exceed fifteen percent per annum from the funds available to the agency, such amount to be applied to the unpaid balance to be remitted to the vendor unless the vendor waives imposition of the interest penalty.

(B) All agencies and institutions of the State are required to comply with the provisions of this section. Only the lump sum institutions of higher education are responsible for the payment of all goods or services within thirty work days after the acceptance of the goods or services and proper invoice, whichever is received later, and shall pay an amount not to exceed fifteen percent per annum on any unpaid balance which exceeds the thirty work-day period, if the vendor specifies on the statement or the invoice submitted to such institutions that a late penalty is applicable if not paid within thirty work days after the acceptance of goods or services.

(C) The Comptroller General shall issue written instructions to the agencies to carry out the intent of this section. All offices, institutions, and agencies of state government shall fully cooperate with the Comptroller General in the implementation of this section.

(D) The thirty-day period shall not begin until the agency, whether or not the agency processes vouchers through the Comptroller General, certifies its satisfaction with the received goods or services and proper invoice.

SECTION 11-35-50. Political subdivisions required to develop and adopt procurement laws.

All political subdivisions of the State shall adopt ordinances or procedures embodying sound principles of appropriately competitive procurement no later than July 1, 1983. The Budget and Control Board, in cooperation with the Procurement Policy Committee and subdivisions concerned, shall create a task force to draft model ordinances, regulations, and manuals for consideration by the political subdivisions. The expenses of the task force shall be funded by the General Assembly. The task force shall complete its work no later than January 1, 1982. A political subdivision's failure to adopt appropriate ordinances, procedures, or policies of procurement is not subject to the legal remedies provided in this code.

SECTION 11-35-55. Purchase of goods or services from entity employing prison inmates of another state who are paid less than federal minimum wage prohibited.

A governmental body procuring goods or services under the Consolidated Procurement Code, and any agency or department of a political subdivision of this State procuring goods or services under the Consolidated Procurement Code or its own procurement code, may not accept any proposals from or procure any goods or services from an entity which employs or uses inmates of a correctional system of another state who are not paid at least the required federal minimum wage for work performed in the manufacturing, processing, or supplying of those goods or services.



SECTION 11-35-60. Dissemination of regulations.

The dissemination of regulations relating to the implementation of this code shall be in accordance with Sections 1-23-10, et seq. of the 1976 Code.

SECTION 11-35-70. School district subject to consolidated procurement code; exemptions.

Irrespective of the source of funds, any school district whose budget of total expenditures, including debt service, exceeds seventy-five million dollars annually is subject to the provisions of Chapter 35 of Title 11, and shall notify the Director of the Office of General Services of the Budget and Control Board of its expenditures within ninety days after the close of its fiscal year. However, if a district has its own procurement code which is, in the written opinion of the Office of General Services of the State Budget and Control Board, substantially similar to the provisions of the South Carolina Consolidated Procurement Code, the district is exempt from the provisions of the South Carolina Consolidated Procurement Code except for a procurement audit which must be performed every three years by an audit firm approved by the Office of General Services. Costs associated with the internal review and audits are the responsibility of the school district and will be paid to the entity performing the audit.



SECTION 11-35-210. Determinations.

Written determinations and findings required by the code shall be retained in an official contract file of the governmental body administering the contract. Such determinations shall be documented in sufficient detail to satisfy the requirements of audit as provided for in Section 11-35-1230.



SECTION 11-35-310. Definitions.

Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

(1) "Information Technology (IT)" means data processing, telecommunications, and office systems technologies and services:

(a) "data processing" means the automated collection, storage, manipulation, and retrieval of data including: central processing units for micro, mini, and mainframe computers; related peripheral equipment such as terminals, document scanners, word processors, intelligent copiers, off-line memory storage, printing systems, and data transmission equipment; and related software such as operating systems, library and maintenance routines, and applications programs.

(b) "telecommunications" means voice, data, message, and video transmissions, and includes the transmission and switching facilities of public telecommunications systems, as well as operating and network software.

(c) "office systems technology" means office equipment such as typewriters, duplicating and photocopy machines, paper forms, and records; microfilm and microfiche equipment and printing equipment and services.

(d) "services" means the providing of consultant assistance for any aspect of information technology, systems, and networks.

(2) "Board" means State Budget and Control Board.

(3) "Business" means any corporation, partnership, individual, sole proprietorship, joint stock company, joint venture, or any other legal entity.

(4) "Change order" means any written alteration in specifications, delivery point, rate of delivery, period of performance, price, quantity, or other provisions of any contract accomplished by mutual agreement of the parties to the contract.

(5) "Chief procurement officer" means (a) the management officer for information technology, (b) the state engineer for areas of construction, architectural and engineering, construction management, and land surveying services, and (c) the materials management officer for all other procurements.

(6) "Information Technology Management Officer" means the person holding the position as the head of the Information Technology Office of the State.

(7) "Construction" means the process of building, altering, repairing, remodeling, improving, or demolishing any public structure or building or other public improvements of any kind to any public real property. It does not include the routine operation, routine repair or routine maintenance of existing structures, buildings, or real property.

(8) "Contract" means all types of state agreements, regardless of what they may be called, for the procurement or disposal of supplies, services, or construction.

(9) "Contract modification" means a written order signed by the procurement officer, directing the contractor to make changes which the changes clause of the contract authorizes the procurement officer to order without the consent of the contractor.

(10) "Contractor" means any person having a contract with a governmental body.

(11) "Cost effectiveness" means the ability of a particular product or service to efficiently provide goods or services to the State. In determining the cost effectiveness of a particular product or service, the appropriate chief procurement officer shall list the relevant factors in the bid notice or solicitation and use only those listed relevant factors in determining the award.

(12) "Data" means recorded information, regardless of form or characteristics.

(13) "Days" means calendar days. In computing any period of time prescribed by this code or the ensuing regulations, or by any order of the Procurement Review Panel, the day of the event from which the designated period of time begins to run is not included. If the final day of the designated period falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or a legal holiday for the state or federal government, then the period shall run to the end of the next business day.

(14) "Debarment" means the disqualification of a person to receive invitations for bids, or requests for proposals, or the award of a contract by the State, for a specified period of time commensurate with the seriousness of the offense or the failure or inadequacy of performance.

(15) "Designee" means a duly authorized representative of a person with formal responsibilities under the code.

(16) "Employee" means an individual drawing a salary from a governmental body, whether elected or not, and any nonsalaried individual performing personal services for any governmental body.

(17) "General Services" means the Office of the Budget and Control Board.

(18) "Governmental Body" means a state government department, commission, council, board, bureau, committee, institution, college, university, technical school, agency, government corporation, or other establishment or official of the executive or judicial branch. Governmental body excludes the General Assembly or its respective branches or its committees, Legislative Council, the Office of Legislative Printing and Information Technology Resources, and all local political subdivisions such as counties, municipalities, school districts, or public service or special purpose districts or any entity created by act of the General Assembly for the purpose of erecting monuments or memorials or commissioning art that is being procured exclusively by private funds.

(19) "Grant" means the furnishing by the State or the United States government of assistance, whether financial or otherwise, to any person to support a program authorized by law. It does not include an award, the primary purpose of which is to procure specified end products, whether in the form of supplies, services, or construction. A contract resulting from such an award shall not be deemed a grant but a procurement contract.

(20) "Invitation for Bids" means a written or published solicitation issued by an authorized procurement officer for bids to contract for the procurement or disposal of stated supplies, services or construction, which will ordinarily result in the award of the contract to the responsible bidder making the lowest responsive bid.

(21) "Materials Management Officer" means the person holding the position as the head of the materials management office of the State.

(22) "Office" means a nonmobile place for the regular transaction of business or performance of a particular service and staffed by at least one employee on a routine basis.

(23) "Political subdivision" means all counties, municipalities, school districts, public service or special purpose districts.

(24) "Procurement" means buying, purchasing, renting, leasing, or otherwise acquiring any supplies, services, or construction. It also includes all functions that pertain to the obtaining of any supply, service or construction, including description of requirements, selection and solicitation of sources, preparation and award of contracts, and all phases of contract administration.

(25) "Procurement officer" means any person duly authorized by the governmental body, in accordance with procedures prescribed by regulation, to enter into and administer contracts and make written determinations and findings with respect thereto. The term also includes an authorized representative of the governmental body within the scope of his authority.

(26) "Purchasing agency" means any governmental body other than the chief procurement officers authorized by this code or by way of delegation from the chief procurement officers to enter into contracts.

(27) "Real property" means any land, all things growing on or attached thereto, and all improvements made thereto including buildings and structures located thereon.

(28) "Request for Proposals (RFP)" means a written or published solicitation issued by an authorized procurement officer for proposals to provide supplies or services, which ordinarily result in the award of the contract to the responsible bidder making the proposal determined to be most advantageous to the State. The award of the contract must be made on the basis of evaluation factors which must be stated in the RFP.

(29) "Services" means the furnishing of labor, time, or effort by a contractor not required to deliver a specific end product, other than reports which are merely incidental to required performance. This term includes consultant services other than architectural, engineering, land surveying, construction management, and related services. This term does not include employment agreements or services as defined in Section 11-35-310(1)(d).

(30) "Subcontractor" means any person having a contract to perform work or render service to a prime contractor as a part of the prime contractor's agreement with a governmental body.

(31) "Supplies" means all personal property including, but not limited to, equipment, materials, printing, and insurance.

(32) "State" means state government.

(33) "State Engineer" means the person holding the position as head of the state engineer's office.

(34) "Suspension" means the disqualification of a person to receive invitations for bids, requests for proposals, or the award of a contract by the State, for a temporary period pending the completion of an investigation and any legal proceedings that may ensue because a person is suspected upon probable cause of engaging in criminal, fraudulent, or seriously improper conduct or failure or inadequacy of performance which may lead to debarment.

(35) "Term Contract" means a contract established by the chief procurement officer for a specific product or service for a specified time and for which it is mandatory that all governmental bodies procure their requirements for the goods and services during its term. If a governmental body is offered goods and services at a price that is at least ten percent less than the term contract price for the same goods or services, it may purchase from the vendor offering the lower price after first offering the vendor holding the term contract the option to meet the lower price. If the vendor holding the term contract meets the lower price, then the governmental body must purchase from the contract vendor. A term contract may be a multi-term contract as provided in Section 11-35-2030.

(36) "Using agency" means any governmental body of the State which utilizes any supplies, services, or construction purchased under this code.



SECTION 11-35-410. Public access to procurement information.

Procurement information shall be a public record to the extent required by Chapter 4 of Title 30 (The Freedom of Information Act) with the exception that commercial or financial information obtained in response to a "Request for Proposals" or any type of bid solicitation which is privileged and confidential need not be disclosed.

Privileged and confidential information is information in specific detail not customarily released to the general public, the release of which might cause harm to the competitive position of the party supplying the information. Examples of this type of information would include:

(1) customer lists;

(2) design recommendations and identification of prospective problem areas under an RFP;

(3) design concepts, including methods and procedures;

(4) biographical data on key employees of the bidder.

Evaluative documents predecisional in nature such as inter- or intra-agency memoranda containing technical evaluations and recommendations are exempted so long as the contract award does not expressly adopt or incorporate the inter-or intra-agency memoranda reflecting the predecisional deliberations.

At the time of submitting a proposal or bid, the party supplying a bid or proposal must identify any portions of the proposal or bid considered by the party to be a trade secret and thus eligible to be withheld from public inspection and copying. If the information identified by the party is a trade secret, as defined in Section 30-4-40(a)(1), it may be withheld from public inspection and copying. If the party fails to identify information as a trade secret, the entire bid or proposal is to be made available for public inspection and copying.



SECTION 11-35-450. Reporting purchases.

(A) The purchase of furniture, floor coverings, wall coverings, or any other decorative or ornamental item by a governmental body for at least one of the following uses must be reported to the governing board, commission, or council of the respective governmental body, when the cost of the furniture, covering, or item exceeds five hundred dollars, before the purchase:

(1) in an office or adjoining reception area utilized by an agency director or assistant agency director;

(2) in a board room or a conference room used as a board room.

(B) The reports required in subsection (A) must include the item to be purchased and its price. Upon receiving the reports, the governing board, commission, or council of the respective governmental body formally shall approve or disapprove the purchase.



SECTION 11-35-475. Governmental body may accept certain gifts-in-kind; restrictions.

Governmental bodies may accept gifts-in-kind of architectural or engineering services, or both, and items of construction of value less than two hundred fifty thousand dollars with the approval of the staff of the Commission on Higher Education, the Director of the Office of General Services, and designated staff of the Joint Bond Review Committee, provided that these gifts may not be made or accepted if these gifts are offered with intent of influencing the judgment of any governmental body. No other approvals or procedural requirements, including the provisions of Chapter 35, Title 11, may be imposed on the acceptance of these gifts.





SECTION 11-35-510. Centralization of materials management authority.

All rights, powers, duties and authority relating to the procurement of supplies, services, and information technology and to the management, control, warehousing, sale and disposal of supplies, construction, information technology, and services now vested in or exercised by any state governmental body under the provisions of law relating thereto, and regardless of source of funding, are hereby vested in the Office of General Services. This vesting of authority shall be subject to Sections 11-35-710 (Exemptions), 11-35-1250 (Authority to Contract for Auditing Services), 11-35-1260 (Authority to Contract for Legal Services), 11-35-1270 (Authority to Contract for Certain Services), Section 11-35-1550 (Small Purchases), Section 11-35-1570 (Emergency Procurements), 11-35-3230 (Exception for Small Architect-Engineer, and Land Surveying Services Contracts), and Section 11-35-3620 (Management of Warehouses and Inventory).

SECTION 11-35-520. [1981 Act No. 148, Section 1] Repealed by 1995 Act No. 145, Part II,Section 54B, eff July 1, 1995.

SECTION 11-35-530. Advisory committees.

The following advisory committees may be established by the board for the purpose of advising the policy committee:

(a) The board may appoint a purchasing policies and procedures advisory committee comprised of state and local government, and public members in accordance with regulations of the board to discuss the performance of public purchasing in the State and to consider specific methods for improvement.

(b) The board may appoint an information technology and procedures advisory committee comprised of state and local government and public members in accordance with regulations of the board to discuss the purchasing performance of information technology for government in the State and to consider specific methods for improvement.

(c) The board shall appoint a construction, architect-engineer, construction management, and land surveying services advisory committee comprised of state and local government and public members in accordance with regulations of the board to discuss the purchasing performance of these services in the State and to consider specific methods of improvement. The advisory committee shall be comprised of the following: the State Engineer, a state agency representative, a banker, an attorney, a representative of local government, a registered architect, a registered engineer, a licensed building contractor, and a licensed subcontractor.

SECTION 11-35-540. Authority and duties of the Board.

(1) Authority to Promulgate Regulations. Except as otherwise provided in this code, the board shall have the authority and responsibility to promulgate regulations, consistent with this code, governing the procurement, management, control, and disposal of any and all supplies, services, and construction to be procured by the State. Such regulations shall be binding in all procurements made by the State.

(2) Nondelegation. The board shall not delegate its power to promulgate regulations.

(3) Approval of Operational Procedures. Governmental bodies shall be authorized to develop internal operational procedures consistent with this code; provided, that such operational procedures shall be certified in writing by the appropriate chief procurement officer as being consistent with this chapter.

(4) The board as a whole or acting through its procurement policy committee shall consider and decide matters of policy within the provisions of this code including those referred to it by the chief procurement officers. The board shall have the power to audit and monitor the implementation of its regulations and the requirements of this code.



SECTION 11-35-710. Exemptions.

The board, upon the recommendation of the Office of General Services, may exempt governmental bodies from purchasing certain items through the respective chief procurement officer's area of responsibility. The board may exempt specific supplies or services from the purchasing procedures required in this section and for just cause by unanimous written decision limit or may withdraw exemptions provided for in this section. The following exemptions are granted in this chapter:

(1) the construction, maintenance, and repair of bridges, highways and roads; vehicle and road equipment maintenance and repair; and any other emergency type parts or equipment utilized by the Department of Transportation or the Department of Public Safety;

(2) the purchase of raw materials by the South Carolina Department of Corrections, Division of Prison Industries;

(3) S.C. State Ports Authority;

(4) Division of Public Railways of the Department of Commerce;

(5) S.C. Public Service Authority;

(6) expenditure of funds at state institutions of higher learning derived wholly from athletic or other student contests, from the activities of student organizations and from the operation of canteens and bookstores, except as the funds are used for the procurement of construction, architect-engineer, construction-management and land surveying services;

(7) livestock, feed, and veterinary supplies;

(8) articles for commercial sale by all governmental bodies;

(9) fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, milk, and eggs;

(10) South Carolina Arts Commission and South Carolina Museum Commission for the purchase of one-of-a-kind items such as paintings, antiques, sculpture and similar objects. Before any governmental body procures the objects, the head of the purchasing agency shall prepare a written determination specifying the need for the objects and the benefits to the State. The South Carolina Arts Commission shall review the determination and forward a recommendation to the board for approval;

(11) published books, periodicals, and technical pamphlets;

(12) South Carolina Research Authority;

(13) the purchase of goods, products, and services by state offices, departments, institutions, agencies, boards, and commissions or the political subdivisions of this State from the South Carolina Department of Corrections, Division of Prison Industries.

(14) Medical University Hospital Authority, provided the Medical University Hospital Authority has promulgated a procurement process in accordance with its enabling provision.



SECTION 11-35-810. Creation of Materials Management Office.

There is hereby created, within the Office of General Services, a Materials Management Office to be headed by the Materials Management Officer.

SECTION 11-35-820. Creation of Information Technology Management Office.

There is hereby created within the Office of General Services, the Information Technology Management Office to be headed by the Information Technology Management Officer. All procurements involving information technology, and any pre- and post-procurement activities in this area, shall be conducted in accordance with the regulations promulgated by the board except as otherwise provided for in this code by specific reference to the Information Technology Management Office.

SECTION 11-35-830. Creation of the office of the state engineer.

There is hereby created within the Office of General Services, the state engineer's office to be headed by the State Engineer. All procurements involving construction, architectural and engineering, construction management, and land surveying services, as defined in Section 11-35-2910, and any pre-and post-procurement activities in this area, shall be conducted in accordance with regulations promulgated by the board except as otherwise provided for in this code by specific reference to the state engineer's office.

SECTION 11-35-835. Office of State Engineer to review completed documents within specified time.

The Office of State Engineer must review properly completed schematic design, properly completed design development, and properly completed construction documents within a total of forty-five days of submission of documents.

SECTION 11-35-840. Delegation of authority.

Subject to the regulations of the board, the chief procurement officers may delegate authority to designees or to any department, agency, or official.

SECTION 11-35-845. Overseeing of permanent improvement projects.

Each agency of state government that has total management capability as defined and certified by the Office of General Services shall be allowed to oversee the administration of permanent improvement projects with the state engineer's office serving as an audit function. The state engineer's office shall assist those small agencies who do not have the necessary expertise in permanent improvements.



SECTION 11-35-1010. Relationship with using agencies.

The chief procurement officers shall maintain a close and cooperative relationship with the using agencies. The chief procurement officers shall afford each using agency reasonable opportunity to participate in and make recommendations with respect to procurement matters affecting the using agency.

SECTION 11-35-1020. Advisory groups.

The chief procurement officers may appoint advisory groups such as user committees to assist with respect to specifications and procurement in specific areas and with respect to any other matters within the authority of the chief procurement officers. The chief procurement officers shall develop methods for obtaining necessary and relevant information from the affected agencies, whether through user committees or by surveys and other methods. The chief procurement officers shall make every reasonable effort to ensure that such contracts are developed as will best suit the interest of the State, giving due emphasis to user needs, total costs, and open competitive methods of public purchasing.

SECTION 11-35-1030. Procurement training and certification.

The Office of General Services shall develop a system of training for procurement in accordance with regulations by the board. Such training shall encompass the latest techniques and methods of public procurement. If deemed appropriate by the Office of General Services, such training shall include a requirement for the certification of the procurement officer of each purchasing agency.



SECTION 11-35-1210. Certification.

(1) Authority. The board may assign differential dollar limits below which individual governmental bodies may make direct procurements not under term contracts. The Office of General Services shall review the respective governmental body's internal procurement operation, shall certify in writing that it is consistent with the provisions of this code and the ensuing regulations, and recommend to the board those dollar limits for the respective governmental body's procurement not under term contract.

(2) Policy. Authorizations granted by the board to a governmental body are subject to the following:

(a) adherence to the provisions of this code and the ensuing regulations, particularly concerning competitive procurement methods;

(b) responsiveness to user needs;

(c) obtaining of the best prices for value received.

(3) Adherence to Provisions of the Code. All procurements shall be subject to all the appropriate provisions of this code, especially regarding competitive procurement methods and nonrestrictive specifications.

SECTION 11-35-1220. Collection of data concerning public procurement.

The Office of General Services shall prepare statistical data concerning the procurement, use, and disposition of all supplies, services, and construction. All using agencies shall furnish such reports as the Office of General Services may require concerning use, needs, and stocks on hand, and the chief procurement officers shall prescribe forms to be used by the using agencies in requisitioning, ordering, and reporting supplies, services, and construction. The chief procurement officers shall limit requests for information to those items necessary for the effective operation of the purchasing system, but using agencies shall be required to provide information as requested.

SECTION 11-35-1230. Auditing and fiscal reporting.

(1) The Office of General Services through consultation with the chief procurement officers shall develop written plans for the auditing of state procurements.

In procurement audits of governmental bodies thereafter, the auditors from the Office of General Services shall review the adequacy of the system's internal controls in order to ensure compliance with the requirement of this code and the ensuing regulations. Any noncompliance discovered through audit must be transmitted in management letters to the audited governmental body and the Budget and Control Board. The auditors shall provide in writing proposed corrective action to governmental bodies. Based upon audit recommendations of the Office of General Services, the board may revoke certification as provided for in Section 11-35-1210 and require the governmental body to make all procurements through the office of materials management above a dollar limit set by the board until such time as the board is assured of compliance with this code and its regulations by that governmental body.

(2) The Division of Budget Analysis, or other office or division within the Budget and Control Board, in consultation with the Comptroller General, shall assume responsibility for operation and maintenance of the automated quarterly fiscal reporting procedures. The Comptroller General and the Division of Budget Analysis, or other office or division within the Budget and Control Board, shall assume responsibility for providing quarterly reports to the General Assembly regarding the status of personnel positions, budgets, transfers, and expenditures in all state agencies, departments, and institutions in a format developed in consultation with the Legislative Audit Council. The Legislative Audit Council shall periodically review the reporting system and coordinate legislative information needs with the Office of the Comptroller General and the Division of Budget Analysis, or other office or division within the Budget and Control Board, as necessary. All agencies, departments and institutions of state government shall report to the Comptroller General and the Division of Budget Analysis, or other office or division within the Budget and Control Board, any required information. The Legislative Audit Council shall undertake a periodic review of the reporting and data analysis system developed by the division for reporting both commodities purchased and those not purchased through the division's central purchasing system, and shall make recommendations for incorporating these reporting procedures into the Statewide Accounting and Reporting System (STARS) as necessary to reduce unnecessary duplication and improve efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability.

SECTION 11-35-1240. Administrative penalties.

The board shall prescribe administrative penalties for violation of the provisions of this code and of regulations promulgated thereunder, excluding those matters under the jurisdiction of the Ethics Commission as provided by law.

Violation of these provisions shall be grounds for loss of or reduction in authority delegated by the board.

SECTION 11-35-1250. Authority to contract for auditing services.

No contract for auditing or accounting services shall be awarded without the approval of the State Auditor except where specific statutory authority is otherwise provided.

SECTION 11-35-1260. Authority to contract for legal services.

No contract for the services of attorneys shall be awarded without the approval of the State Attorney General except where specific statutory authority is otherwise provided.

SECTION 11-35-1270. Authority to contract for certain services.

For the purpose of procuring any professional services not included in the purchasing authority of this code and the ensuing regulations, where the person employed is customarily employed on a fee basis rather than by competitive bidding (e.g., clergy, dentists, physicians), a governmental body may act as a purchasing agent and contract on its own behalf for such services, subject to this code and regulations which may be established by the board.





SECTION 11-35-1410. Definitions of terms used in this article.

Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

(1) "Cost-reimbursement contract" means a contract under which a contractor is reimbursed for costs which are allowable and allocable in accordance with the cost principles as provided in Article 13 of this chapter and a fee, if any.

(2) "Established catalog price" means the price included in a catalog, price list, schedule, or other form that:

(a) is regularly maintained by a manufacturer or vendor of an item;

(b) is either published or otherwise available for inspection by customers;

(c) states prices at which sales are currently or were last made to a significant number of buyers constituting the general buying public for the supplies or services involved.

(3) "Invitation for bids" means all documents, whether attached or incorporated by reference, utilized for soliciting bids in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 11-35-1520.

(4) "Purchase description" means specifications or any other document describing the supplies, services, or construction to be procured.

(5) "Request for proposals" means all documents, whether attached or incorporated by reference, utilized for soliciting proposals.

(6) "Responsible bidder or offeror" means a person who has the capability in all respects to perform fully the contract requirements and the integrity and reliability which will assure good faith performance which may be substantiated by past performance.

(7) "Responsive bidder or offeror" means a person who has submitted a bid or offer which conforms in all material aspects to the invitation for bids or request for proposals.



SECTION 11-35-1510. Methods of source selection.

Unless otherwise provided by law, all state contracts shall be awarded by competitive sealed bidding, pursuant to Section 11-35-1520, except as provided in:

(1) Section 11-35-1525 (Fixed Priced Bidding);

(2) Section 11-35-1528 (Competitive Best Value Bidding);

(3) Section 11-35-1250 (Authority to Contract for Auditing Services);

(4) Section 11-35-1260 (Authority to Contract for Legal Services);

(5) Section 11-35-1270 (Authority to Contract for Certain Services);

(6) Section 11-35-1530 (Competitive Sealed Proposals);

(7) Section 11-35-1540 (Negotiations After Unsuccessful Competitive Sealed Bidding);

(8) Section 11-35-1550 (Small Purchases);

(9) Section 11-35-1560 (Sole Source Procurements);

(10) Section 11-35-1570 (Emergency Procurements);

(11) Section 11-35-1575 (Procurements at Auction);

(12) Section 11-35-1580 (Procurement of Information Technology);

(13) Section 11-35-3020 (Construction Procurement Procedures);

(14) Section 11-35-3220 (Architect-Engineer, Construction Management and Land Surveying Services Procurement Procedures);

(15) Section 11-35-3230 (Exception for Small Architect-Engineer and Land Surveying Services Contracts).

(16) Section 11-35-1529 (Competitive On-line Bidding).

SECTION 11-35-1520. Competitive sealed bidding.

(1) Condition for Use. Contracts amounting to twenty-five thousand dollars or more shall be awarded by competitive sealed bidding except as otherwise provided in Section 11-35-1510.

(2) Invitation for Bids. An invitation for bids shall be issued in an efficient and economical manner and shall include specifications and all contractual terms and conditions applicable to the procurement.

(3) Notice. Adequate notice of the invitation for bids shall be given at a reasonable time prior to the date set forth therein for the opening of bids. Such notice shall include publications in a newspaper of general circulation in the State such as "South Carolina Business Opportunities" or through a means of central electronic advertising as approved by the Office of General Services.

(4) Receipt and Safeguarding of Bids. All bids (including modifications) received prior to the time of opening shall be kept secure and unopened, except as provided for by regulation of the board.

(5) Bid Opening. Bids shall be opened publicly in the presence of one or more witnesses at the time and place designated in the invitation for bids and in the manner prescribed by regulation of the board. The amount of each bid, and such other relevant information as may be specified by regulation, together with the name of each bidder, shall be tabulated. The tabulation shall be open to the public inspection at that time.

(6) Bid Acceptance and Bid Evaluation. Bids shall be accepted unconditionally without alteration or correction, except as otherwise authorized in this code. The invitation for bids shall set forth the evaluation criteria to be used. No criteria may be used in bid evaluation that are not set forth in the invitation for bids. Bids shall be evaluated based on the requirements set forth in the invitation for bids and in accordance with the regulations of the board.

(7) Correction or Withdrawal of Bids; Cancellation of Awards. Correction or withdrawal of inadvertently erroneous bids before bid opening, withdrawal of inadvertently erroneous bids after award, or cancellation and reward of awards or contracts, after award but prior to performance may be permitted in accordance with regulations promulgated by the board. After bid opening no changes in bid prices or other provisions of bids prejudicial to the interest of the State or fair competition shall be permitted. Except as otherwise provided by regulation, all decisions to permit the correction or withdrawal of bids, or to cancel awards, or contracts, after award but prior to performance shall be supported by a written determination of appropriateness made by the chief procurement officers or head of a purchasing agency.

(8) Discussion with Bidders. As provided in the invitation for bids, discussions may be conducted with apparent responsive bidders for the purpose of clarification to assure full understanding of the requirements of the invitation for bids. All bids, in the procuring agency's sole judgment, needing clarification shall be accorded such an opportunity. Clarification of any bidder's bid must be documented in writing by the procurement officer and shall be included with the bid. Documentation concerning the clarification shall be subject to disclosure upon request as required by Section 11-35-410.

(9) Tie Bids. If two or more bidders are tied in price while otherwise meeting all of the required conditions, awards are determined as follows:

(a) If there is a South Carolina firm tied with an out-of-state firm, the award must be made automatically to the South Carolina firm.

(b) Tie bids involving South Carolina produced or manufactured products, when known, and items produced or manufactured out of the State must be resolved in favor of the South Carolina commodity.

(c) Tie bids involving South Carolina firms must be resolved in favor of the South Carolina firm located in the same taxing jurisdiction as the governmental body's consuming location.

(d) Tie bids involving South Carolina firms in the same taxing jurisdiction as the governmental body's consuming location must be resolved by the flip of a coin in the office of the chief procurement officer or the head of a purchasing agency or either officer's designee witnessed by all interested parties.

(e) In all other situations where bids are tied, the award will be made by the purchasing agency to the tied bidder offering the quickest delivery time, or if the tied bidders have offered the same delivery time, the tie shall be resolved by the flip of a coin in the office of the chief procurement officer or the head of a purchasing agency or either officer's designee witnessed by all interested parties.

(10) Award. Unless there is a compelling reason to reject bids as prescribed by regulation of the board, notice of an intended award of a contract to the lowest responsive and responsible bidders whose bid meets the requirements set forth in the invitation for bids shall be given by posting such notice at a location specified in the invitation for bids. Prior to the posting of the award, the procuring agency may negotiate with the lowest responsive and responsible bidder to lower his bid within the scope of the invitation for bids. The invitation for bids and the posted notice must contain a statement of a bidder's right to protest under Section 11-35-4210(1) and the date and location of posting must be announced at bid opening. When a contract has a total or potential value in excess of fifty thousand dollars, in addition to the posted notice, notice of an intended award must be given to all bidders responding to the solicitation, except when only one response is received. Such notice must contain a statement of the bidder's right to protest under Section 11-35-4210(1).

When a contract has a total or potential value in excess of fifty thousand dollars, sixteen days after notice is given the agency may enter a contract with the bidder named in the notice in accordance with the provisions of this code and of the bid solicited. When only one response is received, the notice of intended award and the sixteen-day delay of award may be waived. A determination of responsibility must be made before award in accordance with Section 11-35-1810.

(11) Request for Qualifications. Prior to soliciting bids, the procuring agency, acting through the authorized procurement officer, may issue a request for qualifications from prospective bidders. Such request shall contain at a minimum a description of the goods or services to be solicited by the invitation for bids, the general scope of the work, the deadline for submission of information, and how prospective bidders may apply for consideration. The request shall require information concerning the prospective bidders' product specifications, qualifications, experience, and ability to perform the requirements of the contract. Adequate public notice of the request for qualifications shall be given in the manner provided in Section 11-35-1520(3). The use of the request for qualifications is subject to the approval of the Office of General Services.

After receipt of the responses to the request for qualifications from prospective bidders, the prospective bidders shall be ranked from most qualified to least qualified on the basis of the information provided. Bids shall then be solicited from at least the top two prospective bidders by means of an invitation for bids. The failure of a prospective bidder to be selected to receive the invitation for bids shall not be grounds for protest under Section 11-35-4210.

(12) Provisions Not to Apply. The provisions of this section shall not apply to maintenance services for aircraft of the Division of Aeronautics of the Department of Commerce.

(13) Minor Informalities and Irregularities in Bids. A minor informality or irregularity is one which is merely a matter of form or is some immaterial variation from the exact requirements of the invitation for bids having no effect or merely a trivial or negligible effect on total bid price, quality, quantity, or delivery of the supplies or performance of the contract, and the correction or waiver of which would not be prejudicial to bidders. The procurement officer shall either give the bidder an opportunity to cure any deficiency resulting from a minor informality or irregularity in a bid or waive any such deficiency when it is to the advantage of the State. Such communication or determination shall be in writing. Examples of minor informalities or irregularities include, but are not limited to:

(a) failure of a bidder to return the number of copies of signed bids required by the solicitation;

(b) failure of a bidder to furnish the required information concerning the number of the bidder's employees or failure to make a representation concerning its size;

(c) failure of a bidder to sign its bid, but only if the firm submitting the bid has formally adopted or authorized the execution of documents by typewritten, printed, or rubber stamped signature and submits evidence of such authorization, and the bid carries such a signature or the unsigned bid is accompanied by other material indicating the bidder's intention to be bound by the unsigned document, such as the submission of a bid guarantee with the bid or a letter signed by the bidder with the bid referring to and identifying the bid itself;

(d) failure of a bidder to acknowledge receipt of an amendment to a solicitation, but only if:

(i) the bid received indicates in some way that the bidder received the amendment, such as where the amendment added another item to the solicitation and the bidder submitted a bid, thereon, provided that the bidder states under oath that it received the amendment prior to bidding and that the bidder will stand by its bid price or,

(ii) the amendment has no effect on price or quantity or merely a trivial or negligible effect on quality or delivery, and is not prejudicial to bidders, such as an amendment correcting a typographical mistake in the name of the governmental body;

(e) failure of a bidder to furnish an affidavit concerning affiliates;

(f) failure of a bidder to execute the certifications with respect to Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Programs;

(g) failure of a bidder to furnish cut sheets or product literature;

(h) failure of a bidder to furnish certificates of insurance;

(i) failure of a bidder to furnish financial statements;

(j) failure of a bidder to furnish references;

(k) failure of a bidder to furnish its bidder number; and

(l) notwithstanding Section 40-11-180, the failure of a bidder to indicate his contractor's license number or other evidence of licensure, provided that no contract shall be awarded to the bidder unless and until the bidder is properly licensed under the laws of South Carolina.

SECTION 11-35-1524. Resident vendor preference.

(A) A preference of seven percent must be provided to vendors who are residents of South Carolina or whose products are made, manufactured, or grown in South Carolina as set forth in this section.

(B) As used in this section, unless the context indicates otherwise, the terms below have the following meanings:

(1) "Made" means to assemble, fabricate, or process component parts into a finished end-product, the value of which assembly, fabrication or processing is a significant portion of the value of the finished end-product.

(2) "Manufacture" means to make or process raw materials into a finished end-product.

(3) "Grown" means to produce, cultivate, raise, or harvest timber, agricultural produce, or livestock on the land, or to cultivate, raise, catch, or harvest products or food from the water which results in an end-product that is locally derived from the product cultivated, raised, caught, or harvested.

(4) "End-product" means the item sought by the governmental body of the State and described in the solicitation including all component parts and in final form and ready for the use intended by the governmental body.

(5) "Unreasonable Cost" means:

(a) the cost of an item from a resident vendor or an end-product made, manufactured, or grown in South Carolina is unreasonable if the bid exceeds by more than seven percent the lowest qualified bid on the same item or end-product which is made, manufactured, or grown in other states of the United States, or in a foreign country or territory;

(b) the cost of an end-product made, manufactured, or grown in other states of the United States is unreasonable if the bid exceeds by more than two percent the lowest qualified bid on the same or similar end-product which is made, manufactured, or grown in a foreign country or territory;

(6) "Resident vendor" means a vendor who is considered to be a resident of this State if the vendor:

(a) is an individual, partnership, association, or corporation that is authorized to transact business within the State,

(b) maintains an office in the State,

(c) maintains an inventory for expendable items which are representative of the general type of commodities on which the bid is submitted and located in South Carolina at the time of the bid having a total value of ten thousand dollars or more based on the bid price, but not to exceed the amount of the contract, or is a manufacturer which is headquartered and has at least a ten million dollar payroll in South Carolina and the product is made or processed from raw materials into a finished end-product by such manufacturer or an affiliate (as defined in Section 1563 of the Internal Revenue Code) of such manufacturer, and

(d) has paid all assessed taxes.

(C) Application. Competitive procurements made by governmental bodies shall be made from vendors resident to South Carolina or vendors who bid end-products made, manufactured, or grown in South Carolina or in the United States if available, provided that (1) the bidder has certified in writing in the bid that he or she is resident to the State, or (2) the bidder has certified in writing in the bid that the end-product was made, manufactured, or grown in South Carolina or in the United States, (3) the end-product is available, and (4) the cost of the end-product is not unreasonable. In order to receive the award the vendor must be a responsible and responsive bidder, and the bid must otherwise comply with the Procurement Code and Regulations.

In the case of a request for resident vendor status, this requirement shall apply to the entire solicitation. In the case of a request for end-product status, this requirement shall apply to each line item or each lot in a solicitation to which a separate, responsive bid may be made.

(D) Exceptions. This section shall not apply:

(1) to any procurements conducted under Article 9 of the code;

(2) to any prime contractor or subcontractor providing materials or services relating to permanent improvements to real estate;

(3) to any solicitation, bid, offer, or procurement when the price of a single unit of the end-product is more than thirty thousand dollars, whether or not more than one unit is bid or offered;

(4) to any solicitation, bid, offer, or procurement where the contract award is less than ten thousand dollars; or

(5) to any solicitation conducted under Section 11-35-1530 of the code.

(E) Enforcement. A bidder shall be suspended or debarred from doing business with the State in accordance with Section 11-35-4220 of the South Carolina Consolidated Procurement Code if the chief procurement officer determines that the certification made by the bidder as to the resident vendor request or the origin of the end-product was filed under false pretenses and is not valid. In addition, if the bidder with the invalid certification of origin was awarded the contract, he shall also pay the State of South Carolina the amount by which the bid based on the invalid certification exceeded the lowest responsible and responsive bid that would have been selected but for the invalid certification.

If a bidder has not requested the preference, he will neither be entitled to claim any preference against another bidder nor will he be protected from application of another bidder's claim to a preference against his bid in determining contract award.

(F) If a vendor qualifies as a resident vendor and is bidding a product made, manufactured, or grown in South Carolina, an additional three percent preference must be given if claimed by the bidder.

SECTION 11-35-1525. Competitive fixed price bidding.

(1) Conditions for Use. When a purchasing agency determines in writing that the use of competitive sealed bidding is either not practicable or not advantageous to the State, a contract may be entered into by competitive fixed price bidding subject to the provisions of Section 11-35-1520 and the ensuing regulations, unless otherwise provided for in this section.

(2) Fixed Price Bidding. The purpose of fixed price bidding is to provide multiple sources of supply for specific goods or services based on a preset maximum price which the State will pay for such goods or services.

(3) Public Notice. Adequate public notice of the solicitation shall be given in the same manner as provided in Section 11-35-1520(3).

(4) Pricing. The State shall establish, prior to issuance of the fixed price bid, a maximum amount the State will pay for the goods or services desired.

(5) Evaluation. Vendors' responses to the fixed price bid will be reviewed to determine if they are responsive and responsible.

(6) Discussion with Responsive Bidders. Discussions may be conducted with apparent responsive bidders to assure understanding of the requirements of the fixed price bid. All bidders whose bids, in the procuring agency's sole judgment, need clarification shall be accorded such an opportunity.

(7) Award. Award must be made to all responsive and responsible bidders to the state's request for competitive fixed price bidding. The contract file shall contain the basis on which the award is made and must be sufficient to satisfy external audit.

(8) Bids Received After Award. Bidders not responding to the initial fixed price bid may be added to the awarded vendors' list provided the bidder furnishes evidence of responsibility and responsiveness to the state's original fixed price bid as authorized by the solicitation.

(9) Remedies. The failure of a specific offeror to receive business, once it has been added to the awarded vendors' list, shall not be grounds for a contract controversy under Section 11-35-4230.

SECTION 11-35-1528. Competitive best value bidding.

(1) Conditions for Use. When a purchasing agency determines in writing that the use of competitive sealed bidding is either not practicable or not advantageous to the State, a contract may be entered into by competitive best value bidding subject to the provisions of Section 11-35-1520 and the ensuing regulations, unless otherwise provided for in this section.

(2) Best Value Bidding. The purpose of best value bidding is to allow factors other than price to be considered in the determination of award for specific goods or services based on pre-determined criteria identified by the State.

(3) Public Notice. Adequate public notice of the request for the solicitation shall be given in the same manner as provided in Section 11-35-1520(3).

(4) Bid Opening. At bid opening, the only information that will be released is the names of the participating bidders. Cost information will be provided after the ranking of bidders and the issuance of award.

(5) Evaluation Factors. The best value bid shall state the factors to be used in determination of award and the numerical weighting for each factor. Cost must be a factor in determination of award and cannot be weighted at less than sixty percent. Best value bid evaluation factors may include, but are not limited to, any of the following as determined by the purchasing agency in its sole discretion and not subject to protest:

(a) operational costs that the State would incur if the bid is accepted;

(b) quality of the product or service, or its technical competency;

(c) reliability of delivery and implementation schedules;

(d) maximum facilitation of data exchange and systems integration;

(e) warranties, guarantees, and return policy;

(f) vendor financial stability;

(g) consistency of the proposed solution with the state's planning documents and announced strategic program direction;

(h) quality and effectiveness of business solution and approach;

(i) industry and program experience;

(j) prior record of vendor performance;

(k) vendor expertise with engagement of similar scope and complexity;

(l) extent and quality of the proposed participation and acceptance by all user groups;

(m) proven development methodologies and tools; and

(n) innovative use of current technologies and quality results.

(6) Discussion with Responsive Bidders. Discussions may be conducted with apparent responsive bidders to assure understanding of the best value bid. All bidders whose bids, in the procuring agency's sole judgment, need clarification shall be accorded such an opportunity.

(7) Selection and Ranking. Bids shall be evaluated by using only the criteria stated in the best value bid and by adhering to the weighting as assigned. All evaluation factors, other than cost, will be considered prior to determining the effect of cost on the score for each participating bidder. Once the evaluation is complete, all responsive bidders shall be ranked from most advantageous to least advantageous to the State, considering only the evaluation factors stated in the best value bid.

(8) Award. Award must be made to the responsive and responsible bidder whose bid is determined, in writing, to be most advantageous to the State, taking into consideration all evaluation factors set forth in the best value bid. The contract file shall contain the basis on which the award is made and must be sufficient to satisfy external audit.

SECTION 11-35-1529. Competitive on-line bidding.

(1) Conditions for Use. When a purchasing agency determines that on-line bidding is more advantageous than other procurement methods provided by this code, a contract may be entered into by competitive on-line bidding, subject to the provisions of Section 11-35-1520 and the ensuing regulations, unless otherwise provided in this section.

(2) Bidding Process. The solicitation must designate both an Opening Date and Time and a Closing Date and Time. The Closing Date and Time need not be a fixed point in time, but may remain dependant on a variable specified in the solicitation. At the Opening Date and Time, the State must begin accepting real-time electronic bids. The solicitation must remain open until the Closing Date and Time. The State may require bidders to register before the Opening Date and Time and, as a part of that registration, to agree to any terms, conditions, or other requirements of the solicitation. Following receipt of the first bid after the Opening Date and Time, the lowest bid price must be posted electronically to the Internet and updated on a real- time basis. At any time before the Closing Date and Time, a bidder may lower the price of its bid, except that after Opening Date and Time, a bidder may not lower its price unless that price is below the then lowest bid. Bid prices may not be increased after Opening Date and Time. Except for bid prices, bids may be modified only as otherwise allowed by this code. A bid may be withdrawn only in compliance with Section 11-35-1520. If a bid is withdrawn, a later bid submitted by the same bidder may not be for a higher price. If the lowest responsive bid is withdrawn after the Closing Date and Time, the State may cancel the solicitation in accordance with this code or reopen electronic bidding to all pre-existing bidders by giving notice to all pre-existing bidders of both the new Opening Date and Time and the new Closing Date and Time. Notice that electronic bidding will be reopened must be given as specified in the solicitation.

(3) Receipt and Safeguarding of Bids. Other than price, any information provided to the State by a bidder must be safeguarded as required by Section 11-35-1520(4).

(4) Provisions Not to Apply. Section 11-35-1524 and paragraph (5) (Bid Opening) of Section 11-35-1520 do not apply to solicitations issued pursuant to this section.

SECTION 11-35-1530. Competitive sealed proposals.

(1) Conditions for Use. When a purchasing agency determines in writing that the use of competitive sealed bidding is either not practicable or not advantageous to the State, a contract may be entered into by competitive sealed proposals subject to the provisions of Section 11-35-1520 and the ensuing regulations, unless otherwise provided for in this section. Subject to the requirements of Section 11-35-3220, the board may provide by regulation that it is either not practicable or not advantageous to the State to procure specified types of supplies, services, or construction by competitive sealed bidding.

(2) Public Notice. Adequate public notice of the request for proposals shall be given in the same manner as provided in Section 11-35-1520(3).

(3) Receipt of Proposals. Proposals shall be opened publicly in accordance with regulations of the board. A tabulation of proposals shall be prepared in accordance with regulations promulgated by the board and shall be open for public inspection after contract award.

(4) Request for Qualifications. Prior to soliciting proposals, the procuring agency, acting through the authorized procurement officer, may issue a request for qualifications from prospective offerors. Such request shall contain at a minimum a description of the goods or services to be solicited by the request for proposals and the general scope of the work and shall state the deadline for submission of information and how prospective offerors may apply for consideration. The request shall require information only on their qualifications, experience, and ability to perform the requirements of the contract.

After receipt of the responses to the request for qualifications from prospective offerors, the perspective offerors shall be ranked from most qualified to least qualified on the basis of the information provided. Proposals shall then be solicited from at least the top two prospective offerors by means of a request for proposals. The failure of a prospective offeror to be selected to receive the request for proposals shall not be grounds for protest under Section 11-35-4210.

(5) Evaluation Factors. The request for proposals shall state the relative importance of the factors to be considered in evaluating proposals but shall not require a numerical weighting for each factor. Price may but need not be an evaluation factor.

(6) Discussion with Offerors. As provided in the request for proposals, discussions may be conducted with apparent responsive offerors for the purpose of clarification to assure full understanding of the requirements of the request for proposals. All offerors, whose proposals, in the procuring agency's sole judgment, need clarification shall be accorded such an opportunity.

(7) Selection and Ranking. Proposals shall be evaluated using only the criteria stated in the request for proposals and there must be adherence to any weightings that have been previously assigned. Once evaluation is complete, all responsive offerors shall be ranked from most advantageous to least advantageous to the State, considering only the evaluation factors stated in the request for proposals. If price is an initial evaluation factor, award shall be made in accordance with Section 11-35-1530(9) below.

(8) Negotiations. Whether price was an evaluation factor or not, the procuring agency, through the appropriate procurement official, may, in its sole discretion and not subject to challenge through a protest filed under Section 11-35-4210, proceed in any of the manners indicated below:

(a) negotiate price with the highest ranked offeror. If a satisfactory price cannot be agreed upon, price negotiations may be conducted, in the sole discretion of the procuring agency, with the second, and then the third, and so on, ranked offerors to such level of ranking as determined by the procuring agency in its sole discretion; or

(b) negotiate with the highest ranking offeror on matters affecting the scope of the contract, so long as the overall nature and intent of the contract is not changed. If a satisfactory contract cannot be negotiated with the highest ranking offeror, negotiations may be conducted, in the sole discretion of the procuring agency, with the second, and then the third, and so on, ranked offerors to such level of ranking as determined by the procuring agency in its sole discretion; or

(c) during the negotiation process as outlined in subsections (a) and (b) above, if an agency is unsuccessful in its first round of negotiations, it may reopen negotiations with any offeror with whom it previously negotiated; or

(d) if, after following the procedures set forth in Section 11-35-1530(8), a contract is not able to be negotiated, the scope of the request for proposals may be changed in an effort to reduce the cost to a fair and reasonable amount, and all responsive offerors must be allowed to submit their best and final offers.

In conducting negotiations, there must be no disclosure of any confidential information derived from proposals and negotiations submitted by competing offerors.

(9) Award. Award must be made to the responsive offeror whose proposal is determined in writing to be the most advantageous to the State, taking into consideration price and the evaluation factors set forth in the request for proposals, unless the procuring agency determines to utilize one of the options provided in Section 11-35-1530(8). The contract file shall contain the basis on which the award is made and must be sufficient to satisfy external audit. Procedures and requirements for the notification of intent to award the contract shall be the same as those stated in Section 11-35-1520(10).

SECTION 11-35-1540. Negotiations after unsuccessful competitive sealed bidding.

When bids received pursuant to an invitation for bids under Section 11-35-1520 are considered unreasonable by the procuring agency, or are not independently reached in open competition, or the low bid exceeds available funds as certified by the appropriate fiscal officer, and it is determined in writing by the chief procurement officer, the head of a purchasing agency, or the designee of either officer above the level of procurement officer, that time or other circumstances will not permit the delay required to resolicit competitive sealed bids, a contract may be negotiated pursuant to this section, provided that:

(1) each responsible bidder who submitted a bid under the original solicitation is notified of the determination and is given reasonable opportunity to negotiate;

(2) the negotiated price is lower than the lowest rejected bid by any responsible and responsive bidder under the original solicitation;

(3) the negotiated price is the lowest negotiated price offered by any responsible and responsive offeror.

SECTION 11-35-1550. Bid procedures on procurements not exceeding twenty-five thousand dollars.

Authority. (1) The following small purchase procedures may be utilized in conducting procurements for governmental bodies that are less than twenty-five thousand dollars in actual or potential value. An agency may conduct its own procurement under five thousand dollars in actual or potential value, and an agency that has received procurement certification pursuant to Section 11-35-1210 to handle the type and estimated value of the procurement may conduct the procurement under its own authority in accordance with the procedures prescribed in this section; however, procurement requirements must not be artificially divided by governmental bodies so as to constitute a small purchase under this section.

(2) Competition and Price Reasonableness. (a) Purchases Not in Excess of One Thousand Five Hundred Dollars. Small purchases not exceeding one thousand five hundred dollars may be accomplished without securing competitive quotations if the prices are considered to be reasonable. The purchasing office shall annotate the purchase requisition: "Price is fair and reasonable" and sign. The purchases must be distributed equitably among qualified suppliers. When practical, a quotation must be solicited from other than the previous supplier before placing a repeat order. The administrative cost of verifying the reasonableness of the price of purchase "not in excess of" may more than offset potential savings in detecting instances of overpricing. Action to verify the reasonableness of the price need be taken only when the procurement officer of the governmental body suspects that the price may not be reasonable, comparison to previous price paid, or personal knowledge of the item involved.

(b) Purchases from one thousand five hundred one dollars to five thousand dollars. Solicitations of verbal or written quotes from a minimum of three qualified sources of supply must be made and documentation of the quotes attached to the purchase requisition. The award shall be made to the lowest responsive and responsible source.

(c) Purchases from five thousand one dollars to ten thousand dollars. Solicitation of written quotes from a minimum of three qualified sources of supply must be made and documentation of the quotes attached to the purchase requisition. The award must be made to the lowest responsive and responsible sources.

(d) Purchases from ten thousand one dollars to twenty-five thousand dollars. Written solicitation of written quotes, bids, or proposals shall be made. The procurement must be advertised at least once in the South Carolina Business Opportunities publication or through a means of central electronic advertising as approved by the Office of General Services. A copy of the written solicitation and written quotes must be attached to the purchase requisition. The award shall be made to the lowest responsive and responsible source or, when a request for proposal process is used, the highest ranking offeror.

(3) Protest rights. The provisions of Section 11-35-4210 do not apply to contracts awarded under the procedures set forth in this section.

(4) All competitive procurements above twenty-five thousand dollars must be advertised at least once in the South Carolina Business Opportunities publication or through a means of central electronic advertising as approved by the Office of General Services. Governmental bodies may charge vendors the cost incurred for copying and mailing bid or proposal documents requested in response to a procurement advertised in the "South Carolina Business Opportunities" publication.

SECTION 11-35-1560. Sole source procurement.

A contract may be awarded for a supply, service, or construction item without competition when, under regulations promulgated by the board, the chief procurement officer, the head of a purchasing agency, or a designee of either officer, above the level of the procurement officer, determines in writing that there is only one source for the required supply, service, or construction item.

These regulations must include the requirements contained in this paragraph. Written documentation must include the determination and basis for the proposed sole source procurement. Any delegation of authority by either the chief procurement officer or the head of a governmental body with respect to sole source determinations must be submitted in writing to the materials management officer. In cases of reasonable doubt, competition must be solicited. Any decision by a governmental body that a procurement be restricted to one potential vendor must be accompanied by an explanation as to why no other will be suitable or acceptable to meet the need.

Any violation of these regulations by a purchasing agency shall, upon recommendation of the Office of General Services with approval of the majority of the Budget and Control Board, result in the temporary suspension not to exceed one year of the violating agency's ability to procure supplies, services, or construction items under this section.

SECTION 11-35-1570. Emergency procurements.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this code, the chief procurement officer, the head of a purchasing agency, or a designee of either officer may make or authorize others to make emergency procurements only when there exists an immediate threat to public health, welfare, critical economy and efficiency, or safety under emergency conditions as defined in regulations promulgated by the board; and provided, that such emergency procurements shall be made with as much competition as is practicable under the circumstances. A written determination of the basis for the emergency and for the selection of the particular contractor shall be included in the contract file.

SECTION 11-35-1575. Participation in auctions.

A governmental body having knowledge of an auction may elect to participate. The governmental body shall (a) survey the needed items being offered at auction to ascertain their condition and usefulness, (b) determine a fair market value for new like items through informal quotes, (c) determine the fair market value from similar items considering age and useful life, and (d) estimated repair cost and delivery cost, if any, of the desired items. Using this information, the governmental body shall determine the maximum price that it can pay for each item desired. At the auction, the governmental body shall not exceed the maximum price so determined.

SECTION 11-35-1580. Information technology procurements.

(1) Information Technology Management Office. The Information Technology Management Office shall be responsible for:

(a) assessing the need for and use of information technology;

(b) administering all procurement and contracting activities undertaken for governmental bodies involving information technology in accordance with this chapter;

(c) providing for the disposal of all information technology property surplus to the needs of a using agency;

(d) evaluating the use and management of information technology;

(e) operating a comprehensive inventory and accounting reporting system for information technology;

(f) developing policies and standards for the management of information technology in state government;

(g) initiating a state plan for the management and use of information technology;

(h) providing management and technical assistance to state agencies in using information technology; and

(i) establishing a referral service for state agencies seeking technical assistance or information technology services.

(2) Exemptions from the Requirements of this Section. The office may establish by regulation categories of procurement for information technology which shall be exempted from the requirements of this section.

(3) Training and Certification. The office may establish a training and certification program in accordance with Section 11-35-1030.

SECTIONS 11-35-1590, 11-35-1600. Repealed by 1997 Act No. 153, Section 1, eff June 13, 1997.

SECTIONS 11-35-1590, 11-35-1600. Repealed by 1997 Act No. 153, Section 1, eff June 13, 1997.

SUBARTICLE 5.

CANCELLATION OF SOLICITATIONS

SECTION 11-35-1710. Cancellation of invitation for bids or request for proposals.

Any solicitation under this code may be cancelled, or any or all bids or proposals may be rejected in whole or part as may be specified in the solicitation, when it is in the best interest of the State. The reasons for rejection, supported with documentation sufficient to satisfy external audit, shall be made a part of the contract file.

SUBARTICLE 7.

RESPONSIBILITY OF BIDDERS AND OFFERORS

SECTION 11-35-1810. Responsibility of bidders and offerors.

(1) Determination of Responsibility. Responsibility of the bidder or offeror shall be ascertained for each contract let by the State based upon full disclosure to the procurement officer concerning capacity to meet the terms of the contracts and based upon past record of performance for similar contracts. The board shall by regulation establish standards of responsibility that shall be enforced in all state contracts.

(2) Determination of Nonresponsibility. A written determination of nonresponsibility of a bidder or offeror shall be made in accordance with regulations promulgated by the board. The unreasonable failure of a bidder or offeror to supply information promptly in connection with an inquiry with respect to responsibility may be grounds for a determination of nonresponsibility with respect to such bidder or offeror.

(3) Right of Nondisclosure. Except as otherwise provided by law, information furnished by a bidder or offeror pursuant to this section shall not be disclosed outside of the offices of the board, the Office of the Attorney General, or the purchasing agency without prior written consent by the bidder or offeror.

SECTION 11-35-1820. Prequalification of supplies and suppliers.

The board shall be authorized to provide by regulation for prequalification of suppliers or supplies.

SECTION 11-35-1825. Pre-qualification of construction bidders.

The state engineer's office shall develop a procedure and a list of criteria for pre-qualifying construction bidders. The criteria shall include, but not be limited to, prior performance, recent past references on all aspects of performance, financial stability, and experience on similar construction projects. A governmental body may use the prequalification process only for projects where the construction involved is unique in nature or over ten million dollars in value as determined by and subject to the approval of the state engineer's office. All prequalification projects shall be under the supervision of the state engineer's office, unless the project falls within the governmental body's procurement certification limits.

When the prequalification process is employed, only those bidders who are prequalified through this procedure are entitled to submit a bid for the project. The determination of which bidders are prequalified, and thereby entitled to bid, is not protestable under Section 11-35-4210 or any other provision of this code.

SECTION 11-35-1830. Cost or pricing data.

(1) Contractor Certification. A contractor shall, except as provided in subsection (3) of this section, submit cost or pricing data and shall certify that, to the best of his knowledge and belief, the cost or pricing data submitted is accurate, complete, and current as of mutually determined specified date prior to the date of:

(a) the pricing of any contract awarded by competitive sealed proposals pursuant to Section 11-35-1530 or pursuant to the sole source procurement authority as provided in Section 11-35-1560 where the total contract price exceeds an amount established by the board in regulations; or

(b) the pricing of any change order or contract modification which exceeds an amount established by the board in regulations.

(2) Price Adjustment. Any contract, change order or contract modification under which a certificate is required shall contain a provision that the price to the State, including profit or fee, shall be adjusted to exclude any significant sums by which the State finds that such price was increased because the contractor furnished cost or pricing data was inaccurate, incomplete, or not current as of the date agreed upon between parties.

(3) Cost or Pricing Data Not Required. The requirements of this section shall not apply to contracts:

(a) where the contract price is based on adequate price competition;

(b) where the contract price is based on established catalog prices or market prices;

(c) where contract prices are set by law or regulations; or

(d) where it is determined in writing in accordance with regulations promulgated by the board that the requirements of this section may be waived and the reasons for such waiver are stated in writing.

SUBARTICLE 9.

TYPES AND FORMS OF CONTRACTS

SECTION 11-35-2010. Types of contracts; contract forms; form not needed for smaller contracts.

(1) Types of Contracts. Subject to the limitations of this section, any type of contract which will promote the best interests of the State may be used, except that the use of a cost-plus-a-percentage-of-cost contract shall be approved by the Office of General Services. A cost-reimbursement contract, including a cost-plus-a-percentage-of-cost contract, shall be used only when a determination sufficient for external audit is prepared showing that such contract is likely to be less costly to the State than any other type or that it is impracticable to obtain the supplies, services or construction required except under such a contract.

(2) Contract Forms. The board shall promulgate by regulation the form of the contracts to be used in connection with state purchasing and construction. The forms as shall be developed for Article 9 of this chapter shall be printed as a part of those regulations. A governmental body may enter into a contract or agreement without using the form promulgated pursuant to the board's regulation when the contract or agreement is for the rental of equipment valued at ten thousand dollars or less and the duration of the contract or agreement does not exceed ninety days.

SECTION 11-35-2020. Approval of accounting system.

The chief procurement officer, the head of a purchasing agency, or a designee of either officer may require that:

(1) the proposed contractor's accounting system shall permit timely development of all necessary cost data in the form required by the specific contract type contemplated;

(2) the proposed contractor's accounting system is adequate to allocate costs in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

SECTION 11-35-2030. Multi-term contracts.

(1) Specified Period. Unless otherwise provided by law, a contract for supplies or services shall not be entered into for any period of more than one year unless approved in a manner prescribed by regulation of the board; provided, that the term of the contract and conditions of renewal or extension, if any, are included in the solicitation and funds are available for the first fiscal period at the time of contracting. Payment and performance obligations for succeeding fiscal periods shall be subject to the availability and appropriation of funds therefor.

(2) Determination Prior to Use. Prior to the utilization of a multi-term contract, it shall be determined in writing by the appropriate governmental body:

(a) that estimated requirements cover the period of the contract and are reasonably firm and continuing;

(b) that such a contract will serve the best interests of the State by encouraging effective competition or otherwise promoting economies in state procurement.

(3) Cancellation Due to Unavailability of Funds in Succeeding Fiscal Periods. When funds are not appropriated or otherwise made available to support continuation of performance in a subsequent fiscal period, the contract shall be canceled.

(4) The maximum time for any multi-term contract is five years. Contract terms of up to seven years may be approved by the Director of the Office of General Services. Contracts exceeding seven years must be approved by the Budget and Control Board.

SECTION 11-35-2040. [1983 Act No. 151, Part II, Section 17] Repealed by 1997 Act No. 153, Section 1, eff June 13, 1997.

SUBARTICLE 11.

INSPECTION OF PLANT AND AUDIT OF RECORDS

SECTION 11-35-2210. Right to inspect plant.

The Office of General Services shall be authorized, at reasonable times, to inspect the part of the plant or place of business of a contractor or any subcontractor which is related to the performance of any contract awarded or to be awarded by the State.

SECTION 11-35-2220. Right to audit records.

(1) Audit of Cost or Pricing Data. All state contracts shall contain a clause setting forth the state's right at reasonable times and places to audit the books and records of any contractor or subcontractor who has submitted cost or pricing data pursuant to Section 11-35-1830 to the extent that such books and records relate to such cost or pricing data. The contract shall further set forth that the contractor or subcontractor who receives a contract, change order, or contract modification for which cost or pricing data is required, shall maintain such books and records that relate to such cost or pricing data for three years from the date of final payment under the contract, unless a shorter period is otherwise authorized in writing by the chief procurement officer; provided, however, that such records shall be retained for additional periods of time beyond this three-year period upon request of the chief procurement officer.

(2) Contract Audit. The State shall be entitled to audit the books and records of a contractor or any subcontractor under any negotiated contract or subcontract other than a firm fixed price contract to the extent that such books and records relate to the performance of such contract or subcontract. Such books and records shall be maintained by the contractor for a period of three years from the date of final payment under the prime contract and by the subcontractor for a period of three years from the date of final payment under the subcontract, unless a shorter period is otherwise authorized in writing by the chief procurement officer.

SUBARTICLE 13.

DETERMINATIONS AND REPORTS

SECTION 11-35-2410. Finality of determinations.

The determinations required by Section 11-35-1520(7) (Competitive Sealed Bidding: Correction or Withdrawal of Bids; Cancellation of Awards), Section 11-35-1520(11) (Competitive Sealed Bidding: Request for Qualifications), Section 11-35-1525(1) (Competitive Fixed Price Bidding: Conditions for Use), Section 11-35-1528(1) (Competitive Best Value Bidding: Conditions for Use), Section 11-35-1528(8) (Competitive Best Value Bidding: Award), Section 11-35-1530(1) (Competitive Sealed Proposals, Conditions for Use), Section 11-35-1530(4) (Competitive Sealed Proposals: Request for Qualifications), Section 11-35-1530(8) (Competitive Sealed Proposals: Negotiations), Section 11-35-1530(9) (Competitive Sealed Proposals, Selection and Ranking of Prospective Offerors), Section 11-35-1530(10) (Competitive Sealed Proposals Award), Section 11-35-1540 (Negotiations After Unsuccessful Competitive Sealed Bidding), Section 11-35-1560 (Sole Source Procurement), Section 11-35-1570 (Emergency Procurement), Section 11-35-1810(2) (Responsibility of Bidders and Offerors, Determination of Nonresponsibility), Section 11-35-1825 (Prequalification of Construction Bidders), Section 11-35-1830(3) (Cost or Pricing Data, Cost or Pricing Data Not Required), Section 11-35-2010 (Types and Forms of Contracts), Section 11-35-2020 (Approval of Accounting System), Section 11-35-2030(2) (Multi-Term Contracts, Determination Prior to Use), Section 11-35-3220(5) (Procurement Procedure, Selection and Ranking of the Five Most Qualified), and Section 11-35-4210(7) (Stay of Procurement During Protests, Decision to Proceed) shall be final and conclusive unless they are clearly erroneous, arbitrary, capricious, or contrary to law. The chief procurement officers or their designees shall review samples of such determinations periodically, and issue reports and recommendations on the appropriateness of the determinations made.

SECTION 11-35-2420. Reporting of anticompetitive practices.

When any information or allegations concerning anticompetitive practices among any bidders or offerors, come to the attention of any employee of the State, immediate notice of the relevant facts shall be transmitted to the Attorney General.

SECTION 11-35-2430. Retention of procurement records.

All procurement records of governmental bodies shall be retained and disposed of in accordance with records retention guidelines and schedules approved by the Department of Archives and History after consultation with the Attorney General. All retained documents shall be made available to the Attorney General or a designee upon request and proper receipt therefor.

SECTION 11-35-2440. Records of procurement actions.

(1) Contents of Records. Any governmental body as defined in Section 11-35-310(18) shall submit quarterly a record listing all contracts made under Section 11-35-1560 (Sole Source Procurement) or Section 11-35-1570 (Emergency Procurements) to the chief procurement officers. The record shall contain:

(a) each contractor's name;

(b) the amount and type of each contract;

(c) a listing of supplies, services, or construction procured under each contract.

The chief procurement officers shall maintain these records for five years.

(2) Publication of Records. A copy of the record shall be submitted to the board on an annual basis and shall be available for public inspection.

ARTICLE 7.

SPECIFICATIONS

SUBARTICLE 1.

DEFINITIONS

SECTION 11-35-2610. Definitions of terms used in this article.

As used in this article, the term "specifications" means any technical or purchase description or other description of the physical or functional characteristics, or of the nature of a supply, service, or construction item. It may also include a description of any requirement for inspecting, testing, or preparing a supply, service, or construction item for delivery.

SUBARTICLE 3.

SPECIFICATIONS

SECTION 11-35-2710. Issuance of specifications; duties of the Board.

The board shall promulgate regulations governing the preparation, maintenance, and content of specifications for supplies, services, and construction required by the State.

SECTION 11-35-2720. Duties of the chief procurement officers and the using agencies.

The chief procurement officers shall prepare or review, issue, revise, and maintain the specifications for supplies, services, and construction required by the State, except for supplies, services, and construction items procured by the governmental bodies pursuant to Sections 11-35-1550, 11-35-1570, and 11-35-3230, the specification for which shall be prepared and maintained by the using agencies in accordance with the provisions of this article and regulations promulgated hereunder and monitored periodically by the chief procurement officers.

SECTION 11-35-2730. Assuring competition.

All specifications shall be drafted so as to assure cost effective procurement of the state's actual needs and shall not be unduly restrictive.

SECTION 11-35-2740. Relationship with using agencies.

The chief procurement officers shall obtain advice and assistance from the personnel of the using agencies in the development of specifications, whether through user committees or through the advisory committees, and may delegate in writing to a using agency the authority to prepare and utilize its own specifications. Specifications shall be drawn in such a manner as to ensure maximally cost effective procurement, consistent with regulations promulgated by the board.

SECTION 11-35-2750. Specifications prepared by architects and engineers.

The requirements of this article regarding the nonrestrictiveness of specifications apply to each solicitation and include, among other things, all specifications prepared by architects, engineers, designers, draftsmen, and land surveyors for state contracts.

ARTICLE 9.

CONSTRUCTION, ARCHITECT-ENGINEER, CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT, AND LAND SURVEYING SERVICES

SUBARTICLE 1.

DEFINITIONS

SECTION 11-35-2910. Definitions of terms used in this article.

(1) "Architect-engineer and land surveying services" are those professional services associated with the practice of architecture, professional engineering, land surveying, landscape architecture, and interior design pertaining to construction, as defined by the laws of this State, as well as incidental services that members of these professions and those in their employ may logically or justifiably perform, including studies, investigations, surveys, evaluations, consultations, planning, programming conceptual designs, plans and specifications, cost estimates, inspections, shop drawing reviews, sample recommendations, preparation of operating and maintenance manuals, and other related services.

(2) "Construction" means the process of building, altering, repairing, remodeling, improving, or demolishing any public structure or building or other public improvements of any kind to any public real property. It does not include the routine operation, routine repair, or routine maintenance of existing structures, buildings, or real property.

(3) "Construction management services" are those professional services associated with a system in which the using agency directly contracts with a professional construction manager to provide that group of management activities required to plan, schedule, coordinate, and manage the design and construction plan of a state project in a manner that contributes to the control of time, cost, and quality of construction as specified in the construction management contract.

SUBARTICLE 3.

CONSTRUCTION SERVICES

SECTION 11-35-3010. Method of construction contracting administration.

(1) Selection of Method. The method of construction contracting administration used for a state construction project by a using agency shall be determined to be that method which is most advantageous to the State and will result in the most timely, economical, and successful completion of the construction project. The using agency shall select in accordance with regulations of the board the appropriate method of construction contracting administration for a particular project and shall state in writing the facts and considerations which led to the selection of that particular method.

(2) State Engineer's Office Review. The using agency shall submit its written report stating the facts and considerations which led to the selection of the particular method of construction contracting administration to the state engineer's office for its review.

(3) Approval or Disagreement by State Engineer's Office. The state engineer's office shall have ten days to review the data submitted by the using agency to determine its position with respect to the particular method of construction contracting administration recommended for approval by the using agency, and to notify the using agency of its decision in writing. If the state engineer's office disagrees with the method selected, it may contest such by submitting the matter to the board for decision. Written notification by the state engineer's office to the using agency of its intention to contest the method selected shall include the reasons therefor. The board shall hear any such contests at its next regularly scheduled meeting subsequent to notification of the using agency. If the board rules in support of the state engineer's office position, the using agency shall receive written notification of the decision. If the board rules in support of the using agency, the using agency shall be notified in writing and thereby be authorized to use that method of construction contracting administration as previously recommended by the using agency on the particular construction project.

SECTION 11-35-3020. Construction procurement procedures.

(1) Source Selection. All state construction contracts shall be awarded by competitive sealed bidding pursuant to the procedures set forth in Section 11-35-1520 subject to the exceptions enumerated in subsection (2) of this section and except as provided in Sections 11-35-1550, 11-35-1560, and 11-35-1570. Competitive sealed proposals as provided in Section 11-35-1530 and multi-step sealed bidding as provided in Section 11-35-1520(11) shall not be used, except in such cases and in accordance with criteria as may be authorized and prescribed by regulation of the board.

(2) Exceptions in Competitive Sealed Bidding Procedures. The process of competitive sealed bidding as required by subsection (1) of this section shall be performed in accordance with the procedures outlined in Article 5 of this code subject to the following exceptions:

(a) Invitation for Bids. In lieu of Section 11-35-1520(2), Section 11-35-1520(3) and Section 11-35-1520(4), invitations for bids for each state construction project subject to subsection (1) of this section shall be made in the following manner. Each using agency shall be responsible for developing a formal invitation for bids for each state construction project subject to subsection (1) of this section. The invitation shall include, but not be limited to, all contractual terms and conditions applicable to the procurement. A copy of each invitation for bids shall be filed with the state engineer's office and shall be formally advertised in an official state government publication. The manner in which this official state government publication shall be published, the content of the publication itself, the frequency of the publication, the method of subscription to the publication, and the manner by which the publication will be distributed shall be established by regulation of the board.

(b) Bid Acceptance. In lieu of Section 11-35-1520(7), the following provision applies. Bids must be accepted unconditionally without alteration or correction, except as otherwise authorized in this code. The using agency's invitation for bids shall set forth all requirements of the bid including, but not limited to:

(i) The using agency, in consultation with the architect-engineer assigned to the project, shall identify by specialty in the invitation for bids all subcontractors, as defined by applicable documents of the American Institute of Architects, who are expected to perform work for the prime contractor to or about the construction when those subcontractors' contracts are each expected to exceed three percent of the prime contractor's total base bid. In addition, the using agency, in consultation with the architect-engineer assigned to the project, may identify by specialty in the invitation for bids any subcontractors who are expected to perform work which is vital to the project. The determination of which subcontractors are included in the list provided in the invitation for bids is not protestable under Section 11-35-4210 or any other provision of this code. Any bidder in response to an invitation for bids shall set forth in his bid the name of only those subcontractors that will perform the work as identified in the invitation for bids. If the bidder determines to use his own employees to perform any portion of the work for which he would otherwise be required to list a subcontractor and if the bidder is qualified to perform such work under the terms of the invitation for bids, the bidder shall list himself in the appropriate place in his bid and not subcontract any of that work except with the approval of the using agency for good cause shown.

(ii) Failure to complete the list provided in the invitation for bids renders the bidder's bid unresponsive.

(iii) No prime contractor whose bid is accepted shall substitute any person as subcontractor in place of the subcontractor listed in the original bid, except for one or more of the following reasons:

(a) upon a showing satisfactory to the using agency by the contractor that a subcontractor who was listed is not financially responsible;

(b) upon a showing satisfactory to the using agency by the contractor that the scope of work bid by a listed subcontractor did not include a portion of the work required in the plans and specifications, and the exclusion is not clearly set forth in the listed subcontractor's original bid;

(c) upon a showing satisfactory to the using agency made by the contractor within four working days of the bid opening that the subcontractor was listed as a result of an inadvertent clerical error;

(d) upon a showing satisfactory to the using agency by the contractor that the listed subcontractor failed or refused to submit a performance and payment bond when requested by the prime contractor after the subcontractor had represented to the prime contractor that he could obtain a performance and payment bond;

(e) upon a showing satisfactory to the using agency by the contractor that the listed subcontractor is required to be licensed and does not have the license by the time it is required by law;

(f) when the listed subcontractor fails or refuses to perform his subcontract;

(g) when the work of the listed subcontractor is found by the using agency to be substantially unsatisfactory;

(h) upon mutual agreement of the contractor and subcontractor;

(i) with the consent of the using agency for good cause shown.

The request for substitution must be made to the using agency in writing. This written request does not give rise to any private right of action against the prime contractor in the absence of actual malice.

(iv) Where substitution is allowed, the prime contractor, before obtaining prices from any other subcontractor, must attempt in good faith to negotiate a subcontract with at least one subcontractor whose bid was received prior to the submission of the prime contractor's bid. Nothing in this section affects a contractor's ability to request withdrawal of a bid in accordance with the provisions of this code and the regulations promulgated under it.

(v) The using agency shall send all responsive bidders a copy of the bid tabulation within ten working days following the bid opening.

(c) In lieu of Section 11-35-1520(10) the following provisions apply. Unless there is a compelling reason to reject bids as prescribed by regulation of the board, notice of an intended award of a contract to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder whose bid meets the requirements set forth in the invitation for bids shall be given by posting such notice at a location which has been specified in the invitation for bids. The invitation for bids and the posted notice must contain a statement of the bidder's right to protest under Section 11-35-4210(1) and the date and location of posting must be announced at bid opening. In addition to posting notice as provided above, the using agency shall promptly send all responsive bidders a copy of the notice of intended award and of the bid tabulation. Such mailed notice must indicate the posting date and must contain a statement of the bidder's right to protest under Section 11-35-4210(1).

Sixteen days after notice is given the agency may enter into a contract with the bidder named in the notice in accordance with the provisions of this code and of the bid solicited. A determination of responsibility must be made before award in accordance with Section 11-35-1810.

If, at bid opening, only one bid is received and determined to be responsive and responsible and within the agency's construction budget, award may be made without the sixteen-day waiting period.

(d) Negotiations After Unsuccessful Competitive Sealed Bidding. In lieu of Section 11-35-1540, the following provisions apply:

(1) When bids received pursuant to an invitation for bids exceed available funds and it is determined in writing by the agency that circumstances will not permit the delay required to resolicit competitive sealed bids, a contract may be negotiated pursuant to this section with the lowest responsible and responsive bidder, provided that this base bid, less any deductive alternates, does not exceed available funds by an amount greater than five percent of the construction budget established for that portion of the work. The using agency may change the scope of the work to reduce the cost to be within the established construction budget but shall not reduce the cost below the established construction budget more than ten percent without a written request by the agency and the written approval of the chief procurement officer based on the best interest of the State.

(2) When the lowest base bid received pursuant to an invitation for bids exceeds approved available funds and the using agency is able to identify additional funds for the project, as certified by the appropriate fiscal officers, in the amount of the difference between the lowest base bid and the approved available funds for the project, the using agency shall submit its request to use such additional funds to the board and the Joint Bond Review Committee in accordance with Sections 3A and 3B of Act 761 of 1976 which were added pursuant to Sections 2-47-40 and 2-47-50.

SECTION 11-35-3025. Approval of architectural, engineering or construction changes which do not alter scope or intent or exceed approved budget.

Each agency of state government shall be allowed to approve and pay for amendments to architectural/engineering contracts and change orders to construction contracts, within agency certification, which do not alter the original scope or intent of the project, and which do not exceed the previously approved project budget.

SECTION 11-35-3030. Bond and security.

(1) Bid Security. (a) Requirement for Bid Security. Bid security is required for all competitive sealed bidding for construction contracts in excess of one hundred thousand dollars and such other contracts as may be prescribed by the state engineer's office. Bid security is a bond provided by a surety company meeting the criteria established by the regulations of the board or otherwise supplied in a form which may be established by regulation of the board.

(b) Amount of Bid Security. Bid security shall be in an amount equal to at least five percent of the amount of the bid at a minimum.

(c) Rejection of Bids for Noncompliance with Bid Security Requirements. When the invitation for bids requires security, noncompliance requires that the bid be rejected except that a bidder who fails to provide bid security in the proper amount or a bid bond with the proper rating shall be given one working day from bid opening to cure such deficiencies. If the bidder cannot cure these deficiencies within one working day of bid opening, his bid shall be rejected.

(d) Withdrawal of Bids. After the bids are opened, they shall be irrevocable for the period specified in the invitation for bids. If a bidder is permitted to withdraw its bid before bid opening pursuant to Section 11-35-1520(8) no action shall be had against the bidder or the bid security.

(2) Contract Performance Payment Bonds. (a) When Required-Amounts. When a construction contract is awarded pursuant to Section 11-35-3020, the following bonds or security shall be delivered to the using agency and shall become binding on the parties upon the execution of the contract:

(i) a performance bond satisfactory to the State, executed by a surety company meeting the criteria established by the board in regulations, or otherwise secured in a manner satisfactory to the State, in an amount equal to one hundred percent of the price specified in the contract;

(ii) a payment bond satisfactory to the State, executed by a surety company meeting the criteria established by the board in regulations, or otherwise secured in a manner satisfactory to the State, for the protection of all persons supplying labor and material to the contractor or its subcontractors for the performance of the work provided for in the contract. The bond shall be in an amount equal to one hundred percent of the contract price.

(iii) in the case of a construction contract valued at one hundred thousand dollars or less, the using agency may waive the requirements of (i) and (ii) above, provided that the using agency has protected the State.

(b) Authority to Require Additional Bonds. Nothing in subsection (2) of this section shall be construed to limit the authority of the board to require a performance bond or other security in addition to these bonds, or in circumstances other than specified in item (a) of such subsection in accordance with regulations promulgated by the board.

(c) Suits on Payment Bonds--Right to Institute. Every person who has furnished labor, material, or rental equipment to a bonded contractor or his subcontractors for the work specified in the contract, and who has not been paid in full therefor before the expiration of a period of ninety days after the day on which the last of the labor was done or performed by such person or material or rental equipment was furnished or supplied by such person for which such claim is made, shall have the right to sue on the payment bond for the amount, or the balance thereof, unpaid at the time of institution of such suit and to prosecute such action for the sum or sums justly due such person. A remote claimant shall have a right of action on the payment bond only upon giving written notice to the contractor within ninety days from the date on which such person did or performed the last of the labor or furnished or supplied the last of the material or rental equipment upon which such claim is made, stating with substantial accuracy the amount claimed as unpaid and the name of the party to whom the material or rental equipment was furnished or supplied or for whom the labor was done or performed. Such written notice to the bonded contractor shall be personally served or served by mailing the same by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid, in an envelope addressed to the bonded contractor at any place the bonded contractor maintains a permanent office for the conduct of its business, or at the current address as shown on the records of the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. However, in no event shall the aggregate amount of any claim against such payment bond by a remote claimant exceed the amount due by the bonded contractor to the person to whom the remote claimant has supplied labor, materials, rental equipment, or services, unless the remote claimant has provided notice of furnishing labor, materials, or rental equipment to the bonded contractor. Such written notice to the bonded contractor shall be personally served or sent by fax or sent by electronic mail or sent by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid, to the bonded contractor at any place the bonded contractor maintains a permanent office for the conduct of its business, or at the current address as shown on the records of the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. After receiving the notice of furnishing labor, materials, or rental equipment, no payment by the bonded contractor shall lessen the amount recoverable by the remote claimant. However, in no event shall the aggregate amount of claims on the payment bond exceed the penal sum of the bond.

No suit under this section shall be commenced after the expiration of one year after the last date of furnishing or providing labor, services, materials, or rental equipment.

For purposes of this section, "bonded contractor" means the contractor or subcontractor furnishing the payment bond, and "remote claimant" means a person having a direct contractual relationship with a subcontractor of a bonded contractor, but no contractual relationship expressed or implied with the bonded contractor.

(d) Suits on Payment Bonds--Where and When Brought. Every suit instituted upon a payment bond shall be brought in a court of competent jurisdiction for the county or circuit in which the construction contract was to be performed, but no such suit shall be commenced after the expiration of one year after the day on which the last of the labor was performed or material was supplied by the person bringing suit. The obligee named in the bond need not be joined as a party in any such suit.

(3) Bonds Forms and Copies. (a) Bond Forms. The board shall promulgate by regulation the form of the bonds required by this section.

(b) Certified Copies of Bonds. Any person may request and obtain from the using agency a certified copy of a bond upon payment of the cost of reproduction of the bond and postage, if any. A certified copy of a bond shall be prima facie evidence of the contents, execution, and delivery of the original.

(4) Retention. (a) Maximum amount to be withheld. In any contract or subcontract for construction which contract or subcontract provides for progress payments in installments based upon an estimated percentage of completion, with a percentage of the contract's proceeds to be retained by the State or general contractor pending completion of the contract or subcontract, the retained amount of each progress payment or installment shall be no more than five percent.

(b) Release of Retained Funds. When the work to be performed on a state construction project or pursuant to a state construction contract is to be performed by multiple prime contractors or by a prime contractor and multiple subcontractors, the work contracted to be done by each individual contractor or subcontractor will be considered a separate division of the contract for the purpose of retention. As each such division of the contract is certified as having been completed, that portion of the retained funds which is allocable to the completed division of the contract shall be released forthwith to the prime contractor, who shall, within ten days of its receipt, release to the subcontractor responsible for the completed work the full amount of any retention previously withheld from him by the prime contractor.

SECTION 11-35-3040. Contract clauses and their administration.

(1) Contract Clauses. State construction contracts and subcontracts promulgated by regulation pursuant to Section 11-35-2010(2) may include clauses providing for adjustments in prices, time of performance and other appropriate contract provisions including, but not limited to:

(a) the unilateral right of a governmental body to order in writing:

(i) all changes in the work within the scope of the contract, and

(ii) all changes in the time of performance of the contract that do not alter the scope of the contract work;

(b) variations occurring between estimated quantities of work in the contract and actual quantities;

(c) suspension of work ordered by the governmental body;

(d) site conditions differing from those indicated in the contract or ordinarily encountered, except that differing site condition clauses promulgated by the board need not be included in a contract:

(i) when the contract is negotiated; or

(ii) when the parties have otherwise agreed with respect to the risk of differing site conditions.

(2) Price Adjustments. (a) Adjustments in price pursuant to clauses promulgated under subsection (1) of this section shall be computed and documented with a written determination. The price adjustment agreed upon shall approximate the actual cost to the contractor and all costs incurred by the contractor shall be justifiably compared with prevailing industry standards, including reasonable profit. Costs shall be properly itemized and supported by substantiating data sufficient to permit evaluation before commencement of the pertinent performance or as soon thereafter as practicable, and shall be arrived at through whichever one of the following ways is the most valid approximation of the actual cost to the contractor:

(i) by unit prices specified in the contract or subsequently agreed upon;

(ii) by the costs attributable to the events or situations under such clauses with adjustment of profits or fee, all as specified in the contract or subsequently agreed upon;

(iii) by agreement on a fixed price adjustment;

(iv) in such other manner as the contracting parties may mutually agree; or

(v) in the absence of agreement by the parties, through unilateral determination by the governmental body of the costs attributable to the events or situations under such clauses, with adjustment of profit or fee, all as computed by the governmental body in accordance with applicable sections of the regulations issued under this chapter and subject to the provisions of Article 17 of this chapter.

(b) A contractor shall be required to submit cost or pricing data if any adjustment in contract price is subject to the provisions of Section 11-35-1830.

(3) Additional Contract Clauses. The construction contracts and subcontracts promulgated pursuant to Section 11-35-2010(2) may include clauses providing for appropriate remedies which cover as a minimum:

(a) specified excuses for delay or nonperformance;

(b) termination of the contract for default;

(c) termination of the contract in whole or in part for the convenience of the governmental body.

(4) Modification of Required Clauses. The chief procurement officer may vary the clauses promulgated by the board under subsection (1) and subsection (3) of this section for inclusion in any particular construction contract; provided, that any variations are supported by a written determination that states the circumstances justifying such variations; and provided, further, that notice of any such material variation be stated in the invitation for bids.

SECTION 11-35-3050. Cost principles regulations for construction contractors.

The board may promulgate regulations setting forth cost principles which shall be used to determine the allowability of incurred costs for the purpose of reimbursing costs under provisions in construction contracts which provide for the reimbursement of costs.

SECTION 11-35-3060. Fiscal responsibility.

Every contract modification, change order, or contract price adjustment under a construction contract with the State shall be subject to the procedures outlined in Sections 3A and 3B of Act 761 of 1976 which were added pursuant to Sections 2-47-40 and 2-47-50.

SUBARTICLE 5.

ARCHITECT-ENGINEER, CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT, AND LAND SURVEYING SERVICES

SECTION 11-35-3210. Applicability and policy.

(1) Applicability. Architect-engineer, construction management, and land surveying services shall be procured as provided in Section 11-35-3220 except as authorized by Sections 11-35-1560, 11-35-1570, and 11-35-3230.

(2) Policy. It is the policy of this State to announce publicly all requirements for architect-engineer, construction management, and land surveying services and to negotiate contracts for such services on the basis of demonstrated competence and qualification for the particular type of services required and at fair and reasonable prices.

SECTION 11-35-3220. Procurement procedures.

(1) Agency Selection Committee. Each using agency shall establish its own architect-engineer, construction management, and land surveying services selection committee hereinafter referred to as the agency selection committee, which shall be composed of those individuals whom the agency head determines to be qualified to make an informed decision as to the most competent and qualified firm for the proposed project. The head of the using agency or his qualified responsible designee shall sit as a permanent member of the agency selection committee for the purpose of coordinating and accounting for the committee's work. To assist an agency selection committee in the selection of firms to be employed for significant or highly technical projects and to facilitate prompt selections, the agency selection committee may invite the state engineer or his designee to sit as a nonvoting member of the committee.

(2) Advertisement of Project Description. The agency selection committee shall be responsible for:

(a) developing a description of the proposed project,

(b) enumerating all required professional services for that project, and

(c) preparing a formal invitation to firms for submission of information.

The invitation shall include, but not be limited to, the project title, the general scope of work, a description of all professional services required for that project, the submission deadline, and how interested firms may apply for consideration. The agency selection committee shall file a copy of the project description and the invitation with the state engineer's office. The invitation shall be formally advertised in an official state government publication. The manner in which this official state government publication shall be published, the content of the publication itself, the frequency of the publication, the method for subscription to the publication, and the manner by which the publication will be distributed shall be established by regulation of the board.

(3) Response to Invitation. The date for submission of information from interested persons or firms in response to an invitation shall be not less than fifteen days after publication of the invitation. Interested architect-engineer, construction management, and land surveying persons or firms shall be required to respond to the invitation with the submission of a current and accurate Federal Standard Form 254, Architect-Engineer and Related Services Questionnaire, and Federal Standard Form 255, Architect-Engineer and Related Services Questionnaire for Specific Project, or such similar information as the board may prescribe by regulation, and any other information which the particular invitation may require.

(4) Interviews with Interested Firms. Following receipt of information from all interested persons and firms, the agency selection committee shall hold interviews with at least five persons or firms who have responded to the committee's advertisement and who are deemed most qualified on the basis of information available prior to the interviews. A list of firms selected for interview shall be sent to all firms that submitted information in response to the advertisement, prior to the date selected for the interviews. If less than five persons or firms have responded to the advertisement, the committee shall hold interviews with those that did respond. The agency selection committee's determination as to which will be interviewed shall be in writing and shall be based upon its review and evaluation of all submitted materials. The written report of the committee shall specifically list the names of all persons and firms that responded to the advertisement and enumerate the reasons of the committee for selecting those to be interviewed. The purpose of the interviews shall be to provide such further information as may be required by the agency selection committee to fully acquaint itself with the relative qualifications of the several interested firms.

(5) Selection and Ranking of the Five Most Qualified. The agency selection committee shall evaluate each of the persons or firms interviewed in view of their:

(a) past performance;

(b) the ability of professional personnel;

(c) demonstrated ability to meet time and budget requirements;

(d) location;

(e) recent, current, and projected workloads of the firms;

(f) creativity and insight related to the project; and

(g) related experience on similar projects.

Based upon these evaluations, the agency selection committee shall select the five persons or firms which, in its judgment, are the best qualified, ranking the five in priority order. The agency selection committee's report ranking the five chosen persons or firms shall be in writing and shall include data substantiating its determinations.

(6) Notice of Selection and Ranking. When it is determined by the agency that the ranking report is final, written notification of the election immediately shall be sent to all firms interviewed.

(7) Negotiation of Contract. The governing body of the using agency or its designee shall negotiate a contract for services with the most qualified person or firm at a compensation which is fair and reasonable to the State. Should the governing body of the using agency or its designee be unable to negotiate a satisfactory contract with this person or firm, negotiations shall be formally terminated. Negotiations shall commence in the same manner with the second and then the third, fourth and fifth most qualified until a satisfactory contract has been negotiated. If no agreement is reached with one of the five, additional persons or firms in order of their competence and qualifications shall be selected after consultation with the agency selection committee, and negotiations shall be continued in the same manner until agreement is reached.

(8) State Engineer's Office Review. The head of the using agency shall submit the following documents to the state engineer's office for its review:

(a) the written report of the agency selection committee, listing the persons or firms that responded to the invitation to submit information and enumerating the reasons of the committee for selecting the particular ones to be interviewed;

(b) the written ranking report of the agency selection committee and all data substantiating the determinations made in that report;

(c) the tentative contract between the using agency and the selected person or firm.

(9) Approval or Disagreement by State Engineer's Office. The state engineer's office shall have ten days to review the data submitted by the agency selection committee, to determine the volume of work previously awarded to the firm by the State, with the object of effecting an equitable distribution of contracts among qualified firms, and to determine its position with respect to the particular person or firm recommended for approval by the agency. If the state engineer's office disagrees with the proposal, it may contest the proposal by submitting the matter to the board for decision. In the event of approval, the state engineer's office shall immediately notify in writing the using agency and the person or firm selected of the award and thereby authorize the using agency to execute a contract with the selected person or firm. In the event of disagreement, the state engineer's office shall immediately notify the using agency in writing of its intention to contest the ranking and the reasons therefor. All contract negotiations by the governing body shall be suspended pending a decision by the board concerning a contested ranking. The board shall hear any such contests at its next regularly scheduled meeting subsequent to notification of the using agency. If the board rules in support of the state engineer's office position, the using agency shall submit the name of another person or firm to the state engineer's office for consideration, selected in accordance with the procedures prescribed herein. If the board rules in support of the using agency, the using agency shall be notified in writing and thereby authorized to execute a contract with the selected person or firm.

SECTION 11-35-3230. Exception for small architect-engineer and land surveying services contract.

(1) Procurement Procedures for Certain Contracts. All governmental bodies securing architect-engineer or land surveying service which is estimated not to exceed twenty-five thousand dollars may employ the architects, engineers, or land surveyors by direct negotiation and selection, taking into account:

(a) the nature of the project,

(b) the proximity of the architect-engineer or land surveying services to the project,

(c) the capability of the architect, engineer, or land surveyor to produce the required service within a reasonable time,

(d) past performance, and

(e) ability to meet project budget requirements.

(2) Maximum Fees Payable to One Person or Firm. Fees paid during the twenty-four month period immediately preceding negotiation of the contract by any single governmental body for professional services performed by any one architectural-engineering or land surveying firm pursuant to Section 11-35-3230(1) shall not exceed seventy-five thousand dollars. All persons or firms seeking to render professional services pursuant to this section shall furnish the governmental body with whom the firm is negotiating a list of professional services, including fees paid therefor, performed for the governmental body during the fiscal year immediately preceding the fiscal year in which the negotiations are occurring and during the fiscal year in which the negotiations are occurring.

(3) Approval of Contracts by State Engineer's Office. All contracts negotiated pursuant to this section shall be submitted for approval to the state engineer's office in accordance with regulations to be established by the board prior to the awarding and execution of the contracts.

(4) Splitting of Larger Projects Prohibited. No using agency may break a project into small projects for the purpose of circumventing the provisions of Section 11-35-3220 and this section.

SECTION 11-35-3240. Manual for planning and execution of state permanent improvements.

As relates to this code and the ensuing regulations, a "Manual for Planning and Execution of State Permanent Improvements" shall be published by the board or its designee for use by governmental bodies and included in the regulations of the board. The manual may be revised as the board deems necessary.

SECTION 11-35-3245. Architect, engineer, or construction manager; performance of other work.

No architect or engineer performing design work, or construction manager performing construction management services as described in Section 11-35-2910(3), pursuant to a contract awarded under any provision of this chapter may perform other work on that project as a contractor or subcontractor either directly or through a business in which he or his architectural engineering or construction management firm has greater than a five percent interest. For purposes of this section, safety compliance and other incidental construction support activities performed by the construction manager are not considered work performed as a contractor or subcontractor. Should the construction manager perform or be responsible for safety compliance and other incidental construction support activities, and these support activities are in noncompliance with the provisions of Section 41-15-210, then the construction management firm is subject to all applicable fines and penalties.

ARTICLE 10.

INDEFINITE DELIVERY CONTRACTS

SECTION 11-35-3310. Indefinite delivery contracts for construction items, architectural-engineering and land surveying services.

(1) General Applicability. Indefinite delivery contracts may be awarded on an as-needed basis for construction services pursuant to the procedures set forth in Section 11-35-3020 and for architectural-engineering and land surveying services pursuant to Section 11-35-3220.

(a) Construction Services. When construction services contracts are awarded, each contract shall be limited to a total expenditure of seven hundred fifty thousand dollars for a two-year period with individual project expenditures not to exceed one hundred fifty thousand dollars.

(b) Architectural-Engineering and Land Surveying Services. When architectural-engineering and land surveying services contracts are awarded, each contract shall be limited to a total expenditure of three hundred thousand dollars for a two-year period with individual project expenditures not to exceed one hundred thousand dollars.

(2) Small Indefinite Delivery Contracts. Small indefinite delivery contracts for architectural-engineering and land surveying services may be procured as provided in Section 11-35-3230. A contract established under this section shall be subject to and included in the limitations for individual and total contract amounts provided in Section 11-35-3230, and any regulations promulgated thereunder.

ARTICLE 11.

MODIFICATIONS AND TERMINATION OF CONTRACTS FOR SUPPLIES AND SERVICES

SECTION 11-35-3410. Contract clauses and their administration.

(1) Contract Clauses. The board may promulgate regulations requiring the inclusion in state supplies and services contracts of clauses providing for adjustments in prices, time of performance or other contract provisions, as appropriate, and covering the following subjects:

(a) the unilateral right of a governmental body to order in writing changes in the work within the scope of the contract and temporary stopping of the work or delaying performance;

(b) variations occurring between estimated quantities of work in a contract and actual quantities.

(2)(a) Price Adjustments. Adjustments in price pursuant to clauses promulgated under subsection (1) of this section shall be computed and documented with a written determination. The price adjustment agreed upon shall approximate the actual cost to the contractor, and all costs incurred by the contractor shall be justifiable compared with prevailing industry standards, including a reasonable profit. Costs shall be properly itemized and supported by substantiating data sufficient to permit evaluation before commencement of the pertinent performance or as soon thereafter as practicable, and shall be arrived at through whichever one of the following ways is the most valid approximation of the actual cost to the contractor:

(i) by unit prices specified in the contract or subsequently agreed upon;

(ii) by the costs attributable to the events or situations under such clauses with adjustment for profit or fee, all specified in the contract or subsequently agreed upon;

(iii) by agreement on a fixed price adjustment;

(iv) by rates determined by the Public Service Commission and set forth in the applicable tariffs;

(v) in such other manner as the contracting parties may mutually agree; or

(vi) in the absence of agreement by the parties, through unilateral determination by the governmental body of the costs attributable to the events or situations under such clauses, with adjustment of profit or fee, all as computed by the governmental body in accordance with applicable sections of the regulations issued under Article 13 of this chapter and subject to the provisions of Article 17 of this chapter.

(b) A contractor shall be required to submit cost or pricing data if any adjustment in contract price is subject to the provisions of Section 11-35-1830.

(3) Additional Contract Clauses. The board shall be authorized to promulgate regulations requiring the inclusion in state supplies and services contracts of clauses providing for appropriate remedies and covering the following subjects:

(a) specified excuses for delay or nonperformance;

(b) termination of the contract for default;

(c) termination of the contract in whole or in part for the convenience of the governmental body.

(4) Modification of Clauses. The chief procurement officer may vary the clauses promulgated by the board under subsection (1) and subsection (3) of this section for inclusion in any particular state contract; provided, that any variations are supported by a written determination that states the circumstances justifying such variations; and provided, further, that notice of any such material variations shall be stated in the invitation for bids or request for proposals.

ARTICLE 13.

COST PRINCIPLES

SECTION 11-35-3510. Cost principles required for supplies and services contracts.

The board may promulgate regulations setting forth cost principles which shall be used to determine the allowability of incurred costs for the purpose of reimbursing costs under provisions in supplies and services contracts which provide for the reimbursement of costs.

ARTICLE 15.

SUPPLY MANAGEMENT

SUBARTICLE 1.

WAREHOUSES AND INVENTORY

SECTION 11-35-3610. [1981 Act No. 148, Section 1] Repealed by 1986 Act No. 510, Section 11, eff June 11, 1986.

SECTION 11-35-3620. Management of warehouses and inventory.

Until such time as the General Assembly may act upon the warehousing and inventory management plan, all powers and responsibilities for management of warehouses and inventory shall be vested in the agency owning, renting, or leasing the warehouses or inventory.

SUBARTICLE 3.

REGULATIONS FOR SALE, LEASE, TRANSFER, AND DISPOSAL

SECTION 11-35-3810. Regulations for sale, lease, transfer and disposal.

Subject to existing provisions of law, the board shall promulgate regulations governing:

(1) the sale, lease, or disposal of surplus supplies by public auction, competitive sealed bidding, or other appropriate methods designated by such regulations;

(2) the transfer of excess supplies between agencies and departments.

SECTION 11-35-3820. Allocation of proceeds for sale or disposal of surplus supplies.

Except as provided in Section 11-35-1580 and Section 11-35-3830 and the regulations pursuant thereto, the sale of all state-owned supplies, property, or personal property not in actual public use shall be conducted and directed by the Office of General Services. Such sales shall be held at such places and in such manner as in the judgment of the Office of General Services shall be most advantageous to the State. Unless otherwise determined, sales shall be by either public auction or competitive sealed bid to the highest bidder. Each governmental body shall inventory and report to the Office of General Services all surplus personal property not in actual public use held by that agency for sale. The Office of General Services shall deposit the proceeds from such sales, less expense of the sales, in the state general fund or as otherwise directed by regulation. This policy and procedure shall apply to all governmental bodies unless exempt by law.

SECTION 11-35-3830. Trade-in sales.

(1) Trade-in Value. Unless otherwise provided by law, governmental bodies may trade-in personal property, the trade-in value of which may be applied to the procurement or lease of like items. The trade-in value of such personal property shall not exceed an amount as specified in regulations promulgated by the board.

(2) Approval of Trade-in Sales. When the trade-in value of personal property of a governmental body exceeds the specified amount, the board shall have the authority to determine whether:

(a) the subject personal property shall be traded in and the value applied to the purchase of new like items; or

(b) the property shall be classified as surplus and sold in accordance with the provisions of Section 11-35-3820. The board's determination shall be in writing and be subject to the provisions of this chapter.

(3) Record of Trade-in Sales. Governmental bodies shall submit quarterly to the materials management officer a record listing all trade-in sales made under subsections (1) and (2) of this section.

SECTION 11-35-3840. Office of General Services authorized to license for public sale certain publications and materials; disposition of proceeds.

The Office of General Services of the State Budget and Control Board may license for public sale publications and materials pertaining to training programs and information technology products which are developed during the normal course of the Office's activities. Such items shall be licensed at such reasonable costs as are established in accordance with the cost of the items. All proceeds from the sale of the publications and materials shall be placed in a revenue account and expended for the cost of providing such services.

SUBARTICLE 5.

CONTINUATION OF CURRENT PROVISIONS OF LAW

SECTION 11-35-4010. Continuation of current provisions of law.

Nothing contained in this article shall affect or limit the legal right and authority which any principal referred to in this article may have by law to act for itself in any matter coming within the purview of this article.

SECTION 11-35-4020. Sale of unserviceable materials and equipment.

Governmental bodies approved by the board may sell any supplies owned by it after such supplies have become entirely unserviceable and can properly be classified as "junk", in accordance with procedures established by the Office of General Services. All sales of unserviceable supplies by the governmental body shall be made in public to the highest bidder, after advertising for fifteen days, and the funds from such sales shall be credited to the account of the governmental body owning and disposing of such unserviceable supplies.

ARTICLE 17.

LEGAL AND CONTRACTUAL REMEDIES

SUBARTICLE 1.

ADMINISTRATIVE RESOLUTION OF CONTROVERSIES

SECTION 11-35-4210. Right to protest; procedure; settlement of protest; administrative review and decision; notice of decision; finality; stay of procurement pending; exclusivity of remedy.

(1) Right to Protest; Exclusive Remedy. Any prospective bidder, offeror, contractor, or subcontractor who is aggrieved in connection with the solicitation of a contract shall protest to the appropriate chief procurement officer in the manner stated in subsection (2) below within fifteen days of the date of issuance of the Invitation For Bids or Requests for Proposals or other solicitation documents, whichever is applicable, or any amendment thereto, if the amendment is at issue.

Any actual bidder, offeror, contractor, or subcontractor who is aggrieved in connection with the intended award or award of a contract shall protest to the appropriate chief procurement officer in the manner stated in subsection (2) below within fifteen days of the date notification of award is posted in accordance with this code.

The rights and remedies granted in this article to a disappointed bidder, offeror, contractor, or subcontractor are to the exclusion of all other rights and remedies of such disappointed bidder, offeror, contractor, or subcontractor against the State at common law or otherwise for the loss or potential loss of an award of a contract under the South Carolina Consolidated Procurement Code.

(2) Protest Procedure. A protest under subsection (1) above shall be in writing, submitted to the appropriate chief procurement officer, and shall set forth the grounds of the protest and the relief requested with enough particularity to give notice of the issues to be decided.

(3) Duty and Authority to Attempt to Settle Protests. Prior to commencement of an administrative review as provided in subsection (4), the appropriate chief procurement officer, the head of the purchasing agency, or designees thereof shall attempt to settle by mutual agreement a protest of an aggrieved bidder, offeror, contractor, or subcontractor, actual or prospective, concerning the solicitation or award of the contract. The appropriate chief procurement officer, the head of the purchasing agency, or designees thereof shall have the authority to approve any settlement reached by mutual agreement.

(4) Administrative Review and Decision. If in the opinion of the appropriate chief procurement officer, after reasonable attempt, a protest cannot be settled by mutual agreement, the appropriate chief procurement officer shall promptly conduct an administrative review and shall issue a decision in writing within ten days of completion of the review. The decision shall state the reasons for the action taken.

(5) Notice of Decision. A copy of the decision under subsection (4) of this section along with a statement of appeal rights under Section 11-35-4210(6) shall be mailed or otherwise furnished immediately to the protestant and any other party intervening. The appropriate chief procurement officer shall also post a copy of the decision at a date and place communicated to all parties participating in the administrative review, and such posted decision shall indicate the date of posting on its face and shall be accompanied by a statement of the right to appeal provided in Section 11-35-4210(6).

(6) Finality of Decision. A decision under subsection (4) of this section shall be final and conclusive, unless fraudulent, or unless any person adversely affected by the decision requests a further administrative review by the Procurement Review Panel under Section 11-35-4410(1) within ten days of posting of the decision in accordance with Section 11-35-4210(5). The request for review shall be directed to the appropriate chief procurement officer, who shall forward the request to the panel, or to the Procurement Review Panel and shall be in writing, setting forth the reasons why the person disagrees with the decision of the appropriate chief procurement officer. The person may also request a hearing before the Procurement Review Panel.

(7) Stay of Procurement During Protests. In the event of a timely protest under subsection (1) above, the State shall not proceed further with the solicitation or award of the contract until a decision is rendered by the appropriate chief procurement officer, or, in the event of timely appeal to the Procurement Review Panel, until a decision is rendered by the panel; provided, however, that solicitation or award of a protested contract will not be stayed if the appropriate chief procurement officer, after consultation with the head of the using agency, makes a written determination that the solicitation or award of the contract without delay is necessary to protect the best interests of the State.

SECTION 11-35-4215. Posting of bond or irrevocable letter of credit.

The agency may request that the appropriate chief procurement officer require any bidder or offeror who files an action protesting the intended award or award of a contract solicited under Article 5 of this code and valued at one million dollars or more to post with the appropriate chief procurement officer a bond or irrevocable letter of credit payable to the State of South Carolina in an amount equal to one percent of the total potential value of the contract as determined by the appropriate chief procurement officer. The chief procurement officer's decision to require a bond or irrevocable letter of credit is not appealable under Section 11-35-4210. The bond or irrevocable letter of credit shall be conditioned upon the payment of all reasonable reimbursement costs which may be adjudged against the bidder or offeror filing the protest in the administrative hearing in which the action is brought and in any subsequent appellate court proceeding. For protests of intended award or award of a contract of the purchasing agency's request for sole source or emergency procurements, the bond or irrevocable letter of credit shall be in an amount equal to one percent of the requesting agency's estimate of the contract amount for the sole source or emergency procurement requested. In lieu of a bond or irrevocable letter of credit, the appropriate chief procurement officer may accept a cashier's check or money order in the amount of the bond or irrevocable letter of credit. If, after completion of the administrative hearing process and any appellate court proceedings, the agency prevails, it may request that the Procurement Review Panel allow it to recover all reasonable reimbursement costs and charges associated with the protest which shall be included in the final order or judgment, excluding attorney's fees. Upon payment of such costs and charges by the bidder or offeror protesting the intended award or award of a contract, the bond, irrevocable letter of credit, cashier's check, or money order shall be returned to the bidder or offeror. Failure to pay such costs and charges by the bidder or offeror protesting the intended award or award of a contract shall result in the forfeiture of the bond, irrevocable letter of credit, cashier's check, or money order to the extent necessary to cover the payment of all reasonable reimbursement costs adjudged against the protesting bidder or offeror. If the bidder or offeror prevails in the protest, the cost of providing the bond, irrevocable letter of credit or cashier's check may be sought from the agency requesting the bond or irrevocable letter of credit.

SECTION 11-35-4220. Authority to debar or suspend.

(1) Authority. After reasonable notice to the person or firm involved, and a reasonable opportunity for such person or firm to be heard, the appropriate chief procurement officer shall have the authority to debar a person for cause from consideration for award of contracts, provided that doing so is in the best interest of the State and there is probable cause for debarment. The appropriate chief procurement officer may also suspend a person or firm from consideration for award of contracts during an investigation where there is probable cause for debarment. The period of debarment or suspension shall be as prescribed by the appropriate chief procurement officer.

(2) Causes for Debarment or Suspension. The causes for debarment or suspension shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

(a) conviction for commission of a criminal offense as an incident to obtaining or attempting to obtain a public or private contract or subcontract, or in the performance of such contract or subcontract;

(b) conviction under state or federal statutes of embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of records, receiving stolen property, or any other offense indicating a lack of business integrity or professional honesty which currently, seriously, and directly affects responsibility as a state contractor;

(c) conviction under state or federal antitrust laws arising out of the submission of bids or proposals;

(d) violation of contract provisions, as set forth below, of a character which is regarded by the appropriate chief procurement officer to be so serious as to justify debarment action:

(i) deliberate failure without good cause to perform in accordance with the specifications or within the time limit provided in the contract; or

(ii) a recent record of failure to perform or of unsatisfactory performance in accordance with the terms of one or more contracts; provided, that failure to perform or unsatisfactory performance caused by acts beyond the control of the contractor shall not be considered to be a basis for debarment;

(e) violation of an order of the Procurement Review Panel; and

(f) any other cause the appropriate chief procurement officer determines to be so serious and compelling as to affect responsibility as a state contractor, including debarment by another governmental entity for any cause listed herein.

(3) Decision. The appropriate chief procurement officer shall issue a written decision to debar or suspend within ten days of the completion of his administrative review of the matter. The decision shall state the action taken, the specific reasons therefore, and the period of debarment or suspension, if any.

(4) Notice of Decision. A copy of the decision under subsection (3) of this section and a statement of appeal rights under Section 11-35-4220(5) shall be mailed or otherwise furnished immediately to the debarred or suspended person and any other party intervening. The appropriate chief procurement officer shall also post a copy of the decision at a time and place communicated to all parties participating in the administrative review and such posted decision shall indicate the date of posting on its face and shall be accompanied by a statement of the right to appeal provided in Section 11-35-4220(5).

(5) Finality of Decision. A decision under subsection (3) of this section shall be final and conclusive, unless fraudulent, or unless the debarred or suspended person requests further administrative review by the Procurement Review Panel under Section 11-35-4410(1), within ten days of the posting of the decision in accordance with Section 11-35-4220(4). The request for review shall be directed to the appropriate chief procurement officer, who shall forward the request to the Panel, or to the Procurement Review Panel and shall be in writing, setting forth the reasons why the person disagrees with the decision of the appropriate chief procurement officer. The person may also request a hearing before the Procurement Review Panel.

SECTION 11-35-4230. Authority to resolve contract and breach of contract controversies.

(1) Applicability. This section applies to controversies between the State and a contractor or subcontractor when the subcontractor is the real party in interest, which arise under or by virtue of a contract between them including, but not limited to, controversies based upon breach of contract, mistake, misrepresentation, or other cause for contract modification or recision. The procedure set forth in this section shall constitute the exclusive means of resolving a controversy between the State and a contractor or subcontractor concerning a contract solicited and awarded under the provisions of the South Carolina Consolidated Procurement Code.

(2) Request for Resolution; Time for Filing. Either the contracting state agency or the contractor or subcontractor when the subcontractor is the real party in interest may initiate resolution proceedings before the appropriate chief procurement officer by submitting a request for resolution to the appropriate chief procurement officer in writing setting forth the general nature of the controversy and the relief requested with enough particularity to give notice of the issues to be decided. A request for resolution of contract controversy must be filed within one year of the date the contractor last performs work under the contract; provided, however, that in the case of latent defects a request for resolution of a contract controversy must be filed within one year of the date the requesting party first knows or should know of the grounds giving rise to the request for resolution.

(3) Duty and Authority to Attempt to Settle Contract Controversies. Prior to commencement of an administrative review as provided in subsection (4), the appropriate chief procurement officer shall attempt to settle by mutual agreement a contract controversy brought under this section. The appropriate chief procurement officer shall have the authority to approve any settlement reached by mutual agreement.

(4) Administrative Review and Decision. If, in the opinion of the appropriate chief procurement officer, after reasonable attempt, a contract controversy cannot be settled by mutual agreement, the appropriate chief procurement officer shall promptly conduct an administrative review and shall issue a decision in writing within ten days of completion of the review. The decision shall state the reasons for the action taken.

(5) Notice of Decision. A copy of the decision under subsection (4) of this section and a statement of appeal rights under Section 11-35-4230(6) shall be mailed or otherwise furnished immediately to all parties participating in the administrative review proceedings. The appropriate chief procurement officer shall also post a copy of the decision at a time and place communicated to all parties participating in the administrative review, and such posted decision shall indicate the date of posting on its face and shall be accompanied by a statement of the right to appeal provided in Section 11-35-4230 (6).

(6) Finality of Decision. A decision under subsection (4) of this section shall be final and conclusive, unless fraudulent, or unless any person adversely affected requests a further administrative review by the Procurement Review Panel under Section 11-35-4410 (1) within ten days of the posting of the decision in accordance with Section 11-35-4230 (5). The request for review shall be directed to the appropriate chief procurement officer who shall forward the request to the panel or to the Procurement Review Panel and shall be in writing setting forth the reasons why the person disagrees with the decision of the appropriate chief procurement officer. The person may also request a hearing before the Procurement Review Panel.

SUBARTICLE 2.

REMEDIES

SECTION 11-35-4310. Solicitations or awards in violation of the law.

(1) Applicability. The provisions of this section apply where it is determined by either the appropriate chief procurement officer or the Procurement Review Panel, upon administrative review, that a solicitation or award of a contract is in violation of the law. The remedies set forth herein may be granted by either the appropriate chief procurement officer after review under Section 11-35-4210 or by the Procurement Review Panel after review under Section 11-35-4410(1).

(2) Remedies Prior to Award. If, prior to award of a contract, it is determined that a solicitation or proposed award of a contract is in violation of law, then the solicitation or proposed award may be:

(a) canceled;

(b) revised to comply with the law and rebid; or

(c) awarded in a manner that complies with the provisions of this code.

(3) Remedies After Award. If, after an award of a contract, it is determined that the solicitation or award is in violation of law;

(a) the contract may be ratified and affirmed, provided it is in the best interests of the State; or

(b) the contract may be terminated and the payment of such damages, if any, as may be provided in the contract, may be awarded.

(4) Entitlement to Costs. In addition to or in lieu of any other relief, when a protest submitted under Section 11-35-4210 is sustained, and it is determined that the protesting bidder or offeror should have been awarded the contract under the solicitation but is not, then the protesting bidder or offeror may request and be awarded a reasonable reimbursement amount, including reimbursement of its reasonable bid preparation costs.

SECTION 11-35-4320. Contract controversies.

Remedies available in a contract controversy brought under the provisions of Section 11-35-4230. The appropriate chief procurement officer or the Procurement Review Panel, in the case of review under Section 11-35-4410(1), may award such relief as is necessary to resolve the controversy as allowed by the terms of the contract or by applicable law.

SECTION 11-35-4330. Frivolous protests.

(1) Signature on Protest Constitutes Certificate. The signature of an attorney or party on a request for review, protest, motion, or other document constitutes a certificate by the signer that the signer has read such document, that to the best of the signer's knowledge, information, and belief formed after reasonable inquiry, it is well grounded in fact and is warranted by existing law or a good faith argument for the extension, modification, or reversal of existing law, and that it is not interposed for any improper purpose, such as to harass, limit competition, or to cause unnecessary delay or needless increase in the cost of the procurement or of the litigation.

(2) Sanctions for Violations. If a request for review, protest, pleading, motion, or other document is signed in violation of this subsection on or after appeal to the Procurement Review Panel, the Procurement Review Panel, upon motion or upon it's own initiative, may impose upon the person who signed it, a represented party, or both, an appropriate sanction, which may include an order to pay to the other party or parties the amount of the reasonable expenses incurred because of the filing of the protest, pleading, motion, or other paper, including a reasonable attorney's fee.

SUBARTICLE 3.

REVIEW PANEL

SECTION 11-35-4410. Procurement Review Panel.

(1) Creation. There is hereby created the South Carolina Procurement Review Panel which shall be charged with the responsibility to review and determine de novo:

(a) requests for review of written determinations of the chief procurement officers under Sections 11-35-4210 (6), 11-35-4220 (5), and 11-35-4230 (6); and

(b) requests for review of other written determinations, decisions, policies, and procedures as arise from or concern the procurement of supplies, services, or construction procured in accordance with the provisions of this code and the ensuing regulations; provided that any matter which could have been brought before the chief procurement officers in a timely and appropriate manner under Sections 11-35-4210, 11-35-4220, or 11-35-4230, but was not, shall not be the subject of review under this paragraph. Requests for review under this paragraph shall be submitted to the Procurement Review Panel in writing, setting forth the grounds, within fifteen days of the date of such written determinations, decisions, policies, and procedures.

(2) Membership. The panel shall be composed of:

(a) [Deleted]

(b) [Deleted]

(c) [Deleted]

(d) the chairman, or his designee, of the Procurement Policy Committee;

(e) five members appointed by the Governor from the State at large who shall be representative of the professions governed by this title including, but not limited to:

(i) Goods and services.

(ii) Information technology procurements.

(iii) Construction.

(iv) Architects and engineers.

(v) Construction management.

(vi) Land surveying services.

(f) two state employees appointed by the Governor.

(3) Chairperson and Meetings. The panel shall elect a chairman from the members at large and shall meet as often as necessary to afford a swift resolution of the controversies submitted to it. Five members present and voting shall constitute a quorum. At-large members of the panel shall be paid per diem, mileage, and subsistence as provided by law for members of boards, commissions, and committees. State employee members shall be reimbursed for meals, lodging, and travel in accordance with current state allowances.

(4) Jurisdiction. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 1-23-10, et seq. or any other provisions of law, the Procurement Review Panel shall be vested with the authority to:

(a) establish its own rules and procedures for the conduct of its business and the holding of its hearings;

(b) issue subpoenas;

(c) interview any person it deems necessary; and

(d) record all determinations.

(5) Procedure. Within fifteen days of receiving a grievance filed under Sections 11-35-4210(6), 11-35-4220(5), 11-35-4230(6), or 11-35-4410(1)(b), the chairman shall convene the review panel to conduct an administrative review. The review panel shall record its determination within thirty days and shall communicate its decision to those involved in the determination. In the alternative, the chairman, within ten days, may appoint a hearing officer to conduct the administrative review and report his recommendations to the review panel for its determination. If a hearing officer is appointed, his report shall be submitted to the review panel within ten days after his appointment, and the review panel must still record its decision within thirty days after being convened for this purpose.

(6) Finality. The decision of the Procurement Review Panel is final as to administrative review and may be appealed to the circuit court under the provisions of the South Carolina Administrative Procedures Act.

ARTICLE 19.

INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS

SUBARTICLE 1.

DEFINITIONS

SECTION 11-35-4610. Definitions of terms used in this article.

As used in this article, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

(1) "Cooperative purchasing" means procurement conducted by, or on behalf of, more than one public procurement unit, or by a public procurement unit with an external procurement activity.

(2) "External procurement activity" means:

(a) any buying organization not located in this State which would qualify as a public procurement unit;

(b) buying by the United States government.

(3) "Local public procurement unit" means any political subdivision or unit thereof which expends public funds for the procurement of supplies, services, or construction.

(4) "Mandatory opting" is the requirement for a local procurement unit to choose whether to utilize a state contract before it is established as prescribed in regulation by the board.

(5) "Public procurement unit" means either a local public procurement unit or a state public procurement unit.

(6) "State public procurement unit" means the offices of the chief procurement officers and any other purchasing agency of this State.

SUBARTICLE 3.

COOPERATIVE PURCHASING

SECTION 11-35-4810. Cooperative purchasing authorized.

Any public procurement unit may participate in, sponsor, conduct, or administer a cooperative purchasing agreement for the procurement of any supplies, services, or construction with one or more public procurement units or external procurement activities in accordance with an agreement entered into between the participants. Such cooperative purchasing may include, but is not limited to, joint or multi-party contracts between public procurement units and open-ended state public procurement unit contracts which shall be made available to local public procurement units, except as provided in Section 11-35-4820 or except as may otherwise be limited by the board through regulations.

However, thirty days notice of a proposed multi-state solicitation shall be provided through central advertising and such contracts may be only awarded to manufacturers who will be distributing the products to South Carolina governmental bodies through South Carolina vendors.

SECTION 11-35-4820. Selective mandatory opting.

As prescribed in regulation by the board, any local public procurement unit may purchase from or through the State at any time; provided, however, that the board may impose a requirement upon the localities for mandatory opting in or out of any particular contract before it is established. Mandatory opting shall be imposed only where it is necessary to obtain more cost effective contracts for the State.

SECTION 11-35-4830. Sale, acquisition or use of supplies by a public procurement unit.

Any public procurement unit may sell to, acquire from, or use any supplies belonging to another public procurement unit or external procurement activity in accordance with the requirements of Articles 5 and 15 of this chapter; provided, that such procurement shall take place only when the procuring entities have good reason to expect the intergovernmental procurement to be more cost effective than doing their own procurement.

SECTION 11-35-4840. Cooperative use of supplies or services.

Any public procurement unit may enter into an agreement in accordance with the requirements of Articles 5 and 15 of this chapter with any other public procurement unit or external procurement activity for the cooperative use of supplies or services under the terms agreed upon between the parties; provided, that such cooperative use of supplies or services shall take place only when the public procurement units have good reason to expect the cooperative use to be more cost effective than utilizing their own supplies and services.

SECTION 11-35-4850. Joint use of facilities.

Any public procurement unit may enter into agreements for the common use or lease of warehousing facilities, capital equipment, and other facilities with another public procurement unit or an external procurement activity under the terms agreed upon between the parties.

SECTION 11-35-4860. Supply of personnel, information and technical services.

(1) Supply of Personnel. Any public procurement unit is authorized, in its discretion, upon written request from another public procurement unit or external procurement activity, to provide personnel services to the requesting public procurement unit or external procurement activity with or without pay by the recipient governmental unit as may be agreed upon by the parties involved.

(2) Supply of Services. The informational, technical, and other services of any public procurement unit may be made available to any other public procurement unit or external procurement activity provided, that the requirements of the public procurement unit tendering the services shall have precedence over the requesting public procurement unit or external procurement activity. The payment shall be in accordance with an agreement between the parties.

(3) State Information Services. Upon request, the chief procurement officers may make available to public procurement units or external procurement activities the following services among others:

(a) standard forms;

(b) printed manuals;

(c) product specifications and standards;

(d) quality assurance testing services and methods;

(e) qualified product lists;

(f) source information;

(g) common use commodities listings;

(h) supplier prequalification information;

(i) supplier performance ratings;

(j) debarred and suspended bidders lists;

(k) forms for invitations for bids, requests for proposals, instruction to bidders, general contract provisions and other contract forms;

(l) contracts or published summaries thereof, including price and time of delivery information.

(4) State Technical Services. The State, through the chief procurement officers, may provide the following technical services among others:

(a) development of products specifications;

(b) development of quality assurance test methods, including receiving, inspection, and acceptance procedures;

(c) use of product testing and inspection facilities;

(d) use of personnel training programs.

(5) Fees. The chief procurement officers may enter into contractual arrangements and publish a schedule of fees for the services provided under subsections (3) and (4) of this section.

SECTION 11-35-4870. Use of payments received by a supplying public procurement unit.

All payments from any public procurement unit or external procurement activity received by a public procurement unit supplying personnel or services shall be governed by any provisions of law concerning nonbudgeted revenue of the recipient entity.

SECTION 11-35-4880. Public procurement units in compliance with code requirements.

Where the public procurement unit or external procurement activity administering a cooperative purchase complies with the requirements of this code, any public procurement unit participating in such a purchase shall be deemed to have complied with this code. Public procurement units shall not enter into a cooperative purchasing agreement for the purpose of circumventing this code.

SECTION 11-35-4890. Review of procurement requirement.

To the extent possible, the chief procurement officers may collect information concerning the type, cost, quality, and quantity of commonly used supplies, services, or construction being procured or used by local public procurement units, which shall be required to respond appropriately as a precondition for participation in state contracts as governed by regulations promulgated by the board. The chief procurement officers shall make available all such information to any public procurement unit upon request.

ARTICLE 21.

ASSISTANCE TO MINORITY BUSINESSES

SUBARTICLE 1.

DEFINITIONS AND CERTIFICATION

SECTION 11-35-5010. Definitions of terms used in this article.

The board may promulgate regulations establishing detailed definitions of the following terms using, in addition to the criteria set forth in this section, such other criteria as it may deem desirable.

(1) "Minority person" for the purpose of this article, means a United States citizen who is economically and socially disadvantaged.

(a) "Socially disadvantaged individuals" means those individuals who have been subject to racial or ethnic prejudice or cultural bias because of their identification as members of a certain group, without regard to their individual qualities. Such groups include, but are not limited to, Black Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans (including American Indians, Eskimos, Aleuts and Native Hawaiians), Asian Pacific Americans, and other minorities to be designated by the board or designated agency.

(b) "Economically disadvantaged individuals" means those socially disadvantaged individuals whose ability to compete in the free enterprise system has been impaired due to diminished capital and credit opportunities as compared to others in the same business area who are not socially disadvantaged.

(2) A "socially and economically disadvantaged small business" means any small business concern which:

(a) is at least fifty-one percent owned by one or more citizens of the United States who are determined to be socially and economically disadvantaged.

(b) in the case of a concern which is a corporation, fifty-one percent of all classes of voting stock of such corporation must be owned by an individual determined to be socially and economically disadvantaged.

(c) in the case of a concern which is a partnership, fifty-one percent of the partnership interest must be owned by an individual or individuals determined to be socially and economically disadvantaged and whose management and daily business operations are controlled by individuals determined to be socially and economically disadvantaged. Such individuals must be involved in the daily management and operations of the business concerned.

SUBARTICLE 3.

ASSISTANCE TO MINORITY BUSINESSES

SECTION 11-35-5210. Statement of policy and its implementation.

(1) Statement of Policy. The South Carolina General Assembly declares that business firms owned and operated by minority persons have been historically restricted from full participation in our free enterprise system to a degree disproportionate to other businesses. The General Assembly believes that it is in the state's best interest to assist minority-owned businesses to develop fully as a part of the state's policies and programs which are designed to promote balanced economic and community growth throughout the State. The General Assembly, therefore, wishes to ensure that those businesses owned and operated by minorities are afforded the opportunity to fully participate in the overall procurement process of the State. The General Assembly, therefore, takes this leadership role in setting procedures that will result in awarding contracts and subcontracts to minority business firms in order to enhance minority capital ownership, overall state economic development and reduce dependency on the part of minorities.

(2) Implementation. Chief procurement officers shall implement the policy set forth in subsection (1) of this section in accordance with the provisions of Section 11-35-5220.

SECTION 11-35-5220. Duties of the chief procurement officers.

(1) Assistance from the Chief Procurement Officers. The chief procurement officers shall provide appropriate staffs to assist minority businesses with the procurement procedures developed pursuant to this code.

(2) Special Publications. The chief procurement officers in cooperation with other appropriate private and state agencies may issue supplementary instructions designed to assist minority businesses with the state procurement procedures.

(3) Source Lists. Chief procurement officers shall maintain special source lists of minority business firms detailing the products and services which they provide. These lists shall be made available to agency purchasing personnel.

(4) Solicitation Mailing Lists. The chief procurement officers shall include and identify minority business on the state's bidders' list and shall ensure that these firms are solicited on an equal basis within nonminority firms.

(5) Training Programs. The chief procurement officers shall work with appropriate state offices and minority groups in conducting seminars to assist minority business owners in learning how to do business with the State.

SECTION 11-35-5230. Regulations for negotiation with state minority firms.

(A) The board shall promulgate regulations that designate such procurement contracts as it may deem appropriate for negotiation with certified, South Carolina-based minority firms, as defined by this subarticle. Among the criteria that shall be used to determine such designations are:

(1) The total dollar value of procurement in South Carolina.

(2) The availability of South Carolina-based minority firms.

(3) The potential for breaking the contracts into smaller units, where necessary, to accommodate such firms.

(4) Insuring that the State shall not be required to sacrifice quality of goods or services.

(5) Insuring that the price shall have been determined to be fair and reasonable, and competitive both to the State and to the contractor and results in no loss to the State.

(B)(1) Firms with state contracts that subcontract with minority firms shall be eligible for an income tax credit equal to four percent of the payments to minority subcontractors for work pursuant to a state contract. Such subcontractors must be certified as to the criteria of a minority firm as defined in Section 11-35-5010 of this code and any regulations which may be promulgated thereunder.

(2) The tax credit is limited to a maximum of twenty-five thousand dollars annually. A firm shall be eligible to claim a tax credit for a period of five years from the date the first income tax credit is claimed.

(3) Any firm desiring to be certified as a minority firm shall make application to the Small and Minority Business Assistance Office (SMBAO) as defined by Section 11-35-5270, on such forms as may be prescribed by that office.

(4) Firms claiming the income tax credit shall maintain evidence of work performed for a state contract by minority subcontractors and shall present such evidence on a form and in a manner prescribed by the Department of Revenue at the time of filing its state income tax return and claim such credit at the time of filing. All records shall be available for audit by the Department of Revenue in accordance with prevailing tax statutes.

SECTION 11-35-5240. Minority business enterprise (MBE) utilization plan.

(1) In order to emphasize the use of minority small businesses, each agency director shall develop a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Utilization Plan. The MBE Utilization Plan shall include, but not be limited to:

(a) The name of the governmental body;

(b) A policy statement expressing a commitment by the governmental body to use MBE's in all aspects of procurement;

(c) The name of the coordinator responsible for monitoring the MBE Utilization Plan;

(d) Goals that include a reasonable percentage of each governmental body's total procurements directed toward minority vendors;

(e) Solicitation of qualified minority vendors, a current list of which shall be supplied by the Office of General Services, in each commodity category for which such minority vendor is qualified. The current listing of qualified minority vendors shall be made available by the Office of General Services on a timely basis;

(f) Procedures to be used when it is necessary to divide total project requirements into smaller tasks which will permit increased MBE participation;

(g) Procedures to be used when the governmental body subcontracts the scope of service to another governmental body; the responsible governmental body may set goals for the subcontractor in accordance with the MBE goal and the responsible governmental body may allow the subcontractor to present a MBE Utilization Plan detailing its procedure to obtain minority business enterprise participation.

(2) MBE utilization plans shall be submitted to the SMBAO for approval not later than July thirtieth, annually. Progress reports shall be submitted to the SMBAO not later than ten days after the end of each fiscal quarter.

(a) Number of minority firms solicited;

(b) Number of minority bids received;

(c) Dollar amount of minority bids awarded.

SECTION 11-35-5250. Progress payments and letter of credit.

(1) Progress Payments. The chief procurement officers may make special provisions for progress payments and letters of credit, as deemed reasonable to assist minority businesses to carry out the terms of a state contract pursuant to regulations which may be promulgated by the board.

(2) Letter of Contract Award. When a minority business firm certified by the Department of Revenue receives a contract with the State, the appropriate chief procurement officer shall furnish a letter, upon request, stating the dollar value and duration of, and other information about the contract, which may be used by the minority firm in negotiating lines of credit with lending institutions.

SECTION 11-35-5260. Annual report regarding contracts with certified small, minority, and women-owned businesses.

Each governmental body shall report annually in writing to the board concerning the number and dollar value of contracts awarded to eligible minority businesses during the preceding fiscal year. These records shall be maintained to evaluate the progress of this program.

SECTION 11-35-5270. Small and minority business assistance office.

A Small and Minority Business Assistance Office (SMBAO) shall be established to assist the board and the Department of Revenue in carrying out the intent of this article. The responsibilities of the office shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

(1) Assist the chief procurement officers and governmental bodies in developing policies and procedures which will facilitate awarding contracts to small and minority firms;

(2) Assist the chief procurement officers in aiding small and minority-owned firms and community-based business in developing organizations to provide technical assistance to minority firms;

(3) Assist with the procurement and management training for small and minority firm owners;

(4) Assist in the identification of responsive small and minority firms;

(5) Receive and process applications to be registered as a minority firm in accordance with Section 11-35-5230(B);

(6) The SMBAO may revoke the certification of any firm which has been found to have engaged in any of the following:

(a) fraud or deceit in obtaining the certification;

(b) furnishing of substantially inaccurate or incomplete information concerning ownership or financial status;

(c) failure to report changes which affect the requirements for certification;

(d) gross negligence, incompetence, financial irresponsibility, or misconduct in the practice of his business; or

(e) wilful violation of any provision of this article.

(7) After a period of one year, the SMBAO may reissue a certificate of eligibility provided acceptable evidence has been presented to the commission that the conditions which caused the revocation have been corrected.

The Governor shall evaluate the role of this office within two years from the date of its creation and shall request recommendations of the State Reorganization Commission. The Governor may propose a more appropriate location of the office should the findings warrant change.