Public contracts: uniform construction cost accounting provisions: alternative procedures.

Existing law establishes procedures for local public agencies to follow when engaged in public works projects, and authorizes agencies to elect to become subject to uniform construction cost accounting provisions. Existing law specifies that a board of supervisors or a county road commissioner is not prohibited by those provisions from utilizing, as an alternative, other procedures governing county highway contracts. This bill would revise the above provision that specifies that a board of supervisors or a county road commissioner is not prohibited from using alternative procedures governing county highway contracts to limit the use of those alternative procedures on or after January 1, 2013, to maintenance and emergency work and new road construction and road reconstruction, as provided. The bill would permit counties with a population of less than 50,000, on or after January 1, 2013, to continue to utilize alternative procedures for county highway contracts. Existing law authorizes public projects of $30,000 or less to be performed by the employees of the public agency by force account, negotiated contract, or purchase order. This bill would increase the amount for which public projects are authorized to be performed by the employees of the public agency, as specified above, to $45,000. Existing law also authorizes public projects of $125,000 or less to be let to contract by informal procedures, as specified, and requires public projects of more than $125,000 to be let to contract by formal bidding procedure, except as provided. This bill would increase the above limits from $125,000 to $175,000. Existing law governing public contracts establishes procedures that public agencies, as defined, are required to follow when performing public works projects, and authorizes the governing board of the public agency to adopt a resolution, by a 4/5 vote, to award the contract at $137,500 or less to the lowest responsible bidder when all informal bids on the public works project are in excess of $125,000. This bill would increase the above limits from $125,000 to $175,000, and from $137,500 to $187,500, respectively.