An Act amending Title 62 (Procurement) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in contracts for public works, providing for specifications for contracts.

HB 859 amends Pennsylvania's public works procurement rules to prevent contracts from including unnecessary proprietary, exclusionary, or discriminatory requirements. It requires that specifications for public works contracts only include such restrictions if they meet one of four specific exceptions: testing a feature, ensuring part interchangeability, maintaining compatibility with existing systems (with an explanation required), or if no other brand exists. The bill also mandates that specifications must clearly list essential performance features for equivalent parts and state that non-branded alternatives will receive equal consideration. This directly affects government agencies awarding public works contracts and contractors bidding on those contracts. The law takes effect 60 days after enactment.