State contracts: procurement practices: small businesses.

The Small Business Procurement and Contract Act (hereafter the Act) requires the directors of the Department of General Services and other state agencies entering into contracts for the provision of goods, information technology, and services to the state, and in the construction of state facilities, to provide for a preference, as specified, for any bid to small businesses and microbusinesses, under specified circumstances. This bill would prohibit the Director of General Services and the directors of other state departments or offices that enter into contracts from engaging in bundling of contracts. This bill would also require the director or any agency, department, board, or commission to provide for the participation of subcontractors that are small businesses and microbusinesses in awarding contracts for goods and services by directly contracting with a small business or microbusiness. The bill would specify that the Act is not implemented by awarding a contract for goods to a prime contractor that engages a small business or microbusiness as a subcontractor.