Committee approves bill to raise public-works bidding threshold to $250,000 and extend to state purchases
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Summary
The Georgia House Governmental Affairs Committee voted to pass House Bill 137, which raises the public-works competitive-bidding threshold from $100,000 to $250,000 and expands the rule to cover most state purchasing while exempting the Georgia Department of Transportation and leaving school systems included, a committee presenter said.
House Bill 137, which raises the dollar threshold that triggers mandatory public-works competitive bidding from $100,000 to $250,000 and extends that change to most state purchasing, was approved by the Georgia House Governmental Affairs Committee.
A committee member told the panel the increase updates a limit that was set in 2001 and has not been adjusted for inflation. The presenter said the bill incorporates changes requested by the governor’s office after a 2023 veto of a related measure, and that the substitute language extends the higher threshold to state purchasing while specifically removing the Georgia Department of Transportation from the covered agencies. School systems and other state agencies that perform public-works projects remain included, the presenter said.
The bill’s sponsor framed the change as an inflation adjustment to reduce administrative burden on projects below the new threshold and said the committee vetted state agencies and removed those that asked to be excluded. Committee members opened for questions but recorded debate was brief; a motion to pass the bill carried on a voice vote.
The committee’s action means HB137 will move forward from the committee stage. The transcript record shows the panel worked off legislative document LC 473227 during the discussion and voted to pass the measure with a motion and second; no roll-call vote or amendment to the bill was recorded in the transcript.
The bill affects local governments, school systems and many state agencies that contract for public-works projects. By raising the mandatory-bid threshold, the bill would change when formal competitive procurement procedures are required; the committee presenter and staff noted the change was requested by the governor’s office after prior legislative action in 2023.
No effective date or implementation details were stated on the record during the committee meeting, nor was a recorded roll-call tally provided in the transcript. The committee adjourned after completing its listed business.
