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Board asks state lawmakers to raise informal public‑project bidding threshold to $50,000
Summary
The board authorized the chair to send letters to state legislators asking to amend procurement law so the county’s informal bidding window extends to projects up to $50,000, a change county staff said would streamline many routine repairs.
The board authorized the chair to send letters to Assemblymember Heather Hadwick and Senator Marie Alvarado requesting legislation to increase the informal public‑project bidding threshold (the upper bound of the informal bidding window) from $10,000 to $50,000.
County staff explained current law requires formal bidding for public works projects valued at $6,500 or more, and that counties may adopt informal bidding only for a narrow band (currently up to $10,000). Because relatively few county projects fell into that narrow range, staff said Amador County had not adopted the informal process; raising the threshold would allow streamlined informal procurement for many routine repairs and small projects.
Staff described the informal process as a shorter notice and fewer requirements than formal bidding: register local contractors, provide minimal notice (24 hours), and avoid full plans and multiple newspaper publications. Supervisors discussed whether to ask for an intermediate figure but ultimately approved a motion directing the chair to send letters requesting a $50,000 threshold; the motion passed 5‑0.
Ending: Board authorized letters to state representatives asking for statutory change; staff said the county will continue to develop a local contractor registry and outreach to improve contractor access to county work.
