Public contracts: small business preferences.

Existing law requires state agencies to give small businesses a 5% preference in contracts for construction, the procurement of goods, or the delivery of services, establishes a procedure by which a business can be certified as a small business by the Department of General Services for the purposes of these preferences, and specifies that a business that has been certified by, or on behalf of, another governmental entity may be eligible for certification as a small business if the certifying entity uses substantially the same or more stringent definitions as those set forth in existing law, as provided. This bill would revise the small business certification procedure to provide that the Department of General Services has the sole responsibility for certifying and determining eligibility of small businesses and would provide that local agencies have access to the department's list of certified small businesses. Existing law also authorizes a local agency to provide for a small business preference in construction, the procurement of goods, or the delivery of services, and to establish a subcontracting participation goal for small businesses on contracts with a preference for those bidders who meet the goal. Existing law authorizes each local agency to define a small business for the purposes of these preferences and goals. This bill would include a certified small business, certified at the state level, as a small business for local preference and goal purposes and would authorize a local agency to set additional guidelines for local preference purposes.