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Committee advances bill to let agencies contact Idaho universities directly for contracts
Summary
House Bill 34 would amend Idaho code to let state agencies solicit interest directly from in-state universities for contracts, streamlining procurement while keeping Division of Purchasing oversight, proponents said; the committee sent the bill to the floor with a due-pass recommendation.
Representative Cheatham presented House Bill 34 as an amendment to "Idaho code 60 seven-two 332 A," saying the original language unintentionally made it easier for out-of-state public universities to compete for state agency contracts. "The unintended complication in this code section actually made it easier to do business with out of state public universities that are the our schools in Idaho," Cheatham said. He said the proposed changes aim to correct that while retaining contracting transparency and streamlining the process.
Cheatham noted the bill had passed the Senate unanimously last year but did not reach the House before the session ended. He said officials from the Department of Administration were in the room, including Director Steve Bailey and Valerie Bollinger, administrator of the Division of Purchasing, to answer technical questions.
Valerie Bollinger told the committee the Division of Purchasing currently gauges interest via a full procurement process, posting solicitations in LUMA and asking universities to respond. "The way that this would work if this bill passes is that the agency would be able to just reach out to whoever they know...They can just reach out by email or shoot them a, you know, call them and say, hey. Are you interested in this? And if multiple universities are interested, great. The agency can do some sort of competition to decide who's the best solution. If only 1 is interested, they can go straight to contracting," Bollinger said.
Bollinger said the division would retain an oversight role even if agencies contact universities directly: the division sets expectations, standard terms and conditions and offers support. "We have an expectation, for example, that they work with their legal counsel if they're going to be entering into their own contract. And we also, always are there as a as a resource if they need help," she said.
Committee members asked whether the change would reduce state-level supervision; Bollinger and the sponsor said they did not expect a loss of oversight and that the change is intended in part to keep Idaho taxpayer dollars with Idaho institutions such as Boise State University, the University of Idaho, Idaho State University and Lewis–Clark State College.
Representative McCann moved that the committee send House Bill 34 to the floor with a due-pass recommendation. The motion passed by voice vote with no opposition recorded.
Supporters said the bill aims to increase opportunities for Idaho public institutions to compete for state work while maintaining contractual standards and legal review; the committee did not record additional fiscal details or implementation deadlines at this meeting.
