Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro and representatives of municipal and procurement associations asked the Joint Committee to advance several technical changes to Chapter 30B and related procurement rules to give cities and towns more flexibility while preserving transparency.

Shapiro testified in support of House 12, which would raise thresholds for ‘‘sound business practices’’ procurements and align written‑quotation thresholds between municipal governments and school districts. He also supported House 13, clarifying that snow plowing, hauling and removal may be packaged together to make contracts more attractive to vendors who prefer the less‑seasonal removal work.

"I have conducted close to 60 municipal stakeholder meetings in all regions of the state," Shapiro said. He told the committee small, targeted changes would relieve recurring municipal headaches without undermining fairness or transparency.

Shapiro recommended increasing the sound business practices threshold from $10,000 (current) to $25,000 and harmonizing the $100,000 school threshold with the municipal threshold. He argued the change would reduce needless duplication when towns and school districts procure jointly.

Municipal proponents including Marjorie Weinberger of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and Ali Dimitayo of the Massachusetts Municipal Association urged cooperative purchasing reforms and parity for municipal and school purchasing thresholds, saying the current split forces redundant procurement work and raises costs. Weinberger supported a targeted H3424/S2219 to clarify cooperative purchasing rules for services; Dimitayo noted inflation since the last threshold change and urged updating the law.

Procurement officials on the call from the Massachusetts Association of Public Purchasing Officials and local practitioners favored the inspector general’s bills and said the changes would streamline operations and reduce procedural errors.

Committee members asked how quasi‑public entities and large state agencies such as the MBTA relate to Chapter 30B; Shapiro noted many quasi agencies have written procedures but are not statutorily required to follow Chapter 30B and said the office advocates fairness and openness across public entities.

No final votes occurred; committee chairs and witnesses agreed to supply additional language and written testimony. The hearing also included discussion of electric vehicle procurement and leasing practices for municipal fleets, and members asked for further review of vehicle lifecycle and procurement strategies.