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Committee approves narrower procurement rules to help DOE buy local produce
Summary
Senators advanced House Bill 1293 (HD2), which creates procurement exemptions and quote requirements to help the Department of Education buy more local edible produce and packaged local food products, while witnesses and senators debated timelines, USDA approvals and whether vendor‑list changes would better address the issue.
The Senate Committee on Education recommended passage with amendments for House Bill 1293, House Draft 2, on March 17, 2025. The bill would exempt certain DOE purchases of local edible produce and packaged local food products from the state's electronic procurement requirement and set written‑quote thresholds intended to give schools flexibility to buy local items.
Department witnesses and farm‑to‑school advocates supported the measure in committee testimony. "The Department stands on its written testimony in support of this measure," Dean Uchida, deputy superintendent of the Department of Education, told the panel. Representatives from the Department of Agriculture, the Hawaii Farm to School Network, the State Procurement Office and the Hawaii Farm Bureau also testified in support or provided comments.
Testimony and questioning focused on how the exemption would work in practice. Committee members pressed DOE officials on existing procurement options, noting DOE had used a small purchase process for pilots (described in testimony as a $25,000‑and‑below small purchase), but that the small purchase approach is limited to one small purchase for the same new product per year. The department explained that USDA approval is required for some reimbursable items before they can be listed on vendor contracts; those approvals follow an annual procurement cycle. Witnesses said the bill would provide an interim tool to test new products while DOE pursues USDA approval and permanent placement on vendor lists.
Bonnie Kahakui, administrator of the State Procurement Office, told the committee that a $100,000 threshold had been discussed with DOE previously. Farm groups urged the committee to give DOE practical tools and support for aggregators and distributors so local producers could participate.
After discussion, the committee recorded a recommendation to pass HB 1293 with amendments and to defer the measure’s effective date. The committee's recommendation was adopted at the hearing.
