Committee approves allowing public construction notices to be posted on finance department website

Senate Bill 121, which would allow state and local awarding authorities to publish invitations to bid on a website maintained by the Department of Finance instead of relying solely on print newspaper notices, received a favorable committee report after members adopted a technical amendment.

The sponsor told the committee that the original statutory purpose of newspaper publication was to "invite competition and invite bidders to come and compete," but that methods of distributing such notices have changed and in some areas newspapers no longer reach potential bidders. The sponsor said the bill preserves the option to publish in a newspaper where the awarding authority believes that is best while permitting a statewide website to be used as an alternative, and cited an example where failures by local newspaper publishers to meet advertising obligations led to rebids and higher costs to taxpayers.

The Alabama Department of Transportation provided an amendment clarifying the measure pertains to Title 39 procurement procedures and not to design‑build contracting; the committee adopted that amendment. Senators said they would coordinate with the Department of Transportation and local governments to reconcile similar bills before floor votes. The committee then voted to give SB 121 a favorable report.

Supporters framed the change as modernizing notice methods, improving competition in areas without active local print media and reducing the cost of rebidding when publication obligations are not met. Concerns raised during discussion included broadband access, subscription paywalls for online newspapers, and preserving transparency; the sponsor said the bill is permissive and does not eliminate print publication where the awarding authority prefers it.