Oliveira files bill to extend contractor experience window to 10 years and tie recertification to inflation

State Sen. Jacob R. Oliveira filed Senate Bill 2199 on Jan. 17, 2025, proposing changes to public construction contractor certification requirements that would extend the experience look‑back period to 10 years and require an annual inflationary adjustment for recertification tied to the Producer Price Index published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The bill would amend Chapter 149, Section 44D of the Massachusetts General Laws by striking the phrase “over the past five years” and replacing it with “over the past ten years.” It would also insert a clause in subsection (3) directing “the division” to establish an annual inflationary increase, based on the Producer Price Index as published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, for applicants seeking recertification.

If enacted, the change from five to ten years would increase the time period during which an applicant’s prior work may be counted when showing eligibility to bid on public construction. The added inflationary-adjustment provision would require the unnamed division to set a recurring inflationary increase for recertification applicants; the bill text does not specify which division is responsible for implementing that adjustment.

The filing lists the matter as being before the Senate committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight and notes similar matter in the previous session (Senate No. 2046 of 2023–2024). The bill as filed does not include committee action, hearings, votes, or an effective date; it is a legislative proposal subject to the standard committee-referral and enactment process.

The proposal could affect contractors who seek certification to bid on public construction projects in Massachusetts by altering the period used to evaluate their past work and by changing recertification cost or threshold calculations if the division applies an inflationary increase. The bill text does not quantify any fee changes or specify implementation details such as when the adjustment would first take effect or how it would be applied to existing certifications.

Senate Bill 2199 is titled “An Act relative to public construction certification” and was filed under Senate docket No. 1974. The bill was presented by Jacob R. Oliveira of Hampden, Hampshire and Worcester and recorded as Senate No. 2199.