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Committee advances Met Council procurement parity bill to State and Local Government
Summary
Senator Dibble presented Senate File 2038 on March 19, 2025, seeking to align Metropolitan Council procurement authority with statewide targeted-business and small-business procurement tools.
Senator Dibble presented Senate File 2038 on March 19, 2025, a Met Council agency bill intended to align the Metropolitan Council's procurement authorities with statewide procurement tools used by state agencies.
"This authority would just align with the procurement tools that the state of Minnesota has," Jody Jacoby, chief procurement officer for the Metropolitan Council, told the committee, saying the bill would put the Met Council in parity with the state's targeted business program and allow direct negotiations and percentage preferences consistent with state practice.
Committee testimony described key provisions: authorization for the Met Council to directly negotiate construction or maintenance contracts up to $250,000; alignment of preference percentages for targeted business participation up to 12%; and authority to set subcontracting goals for targeted businesses for direct select contracts up to $100,000. The committee's fiscal analyst, Ms. Boyd, reported a zero-cost fiscal note and said the Met Council anticipated no budget impact from the bill language.
Members discussed precise drafting choices, including whether statutory language should use "and" versus "or" in provisions that reference socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. Judd Shettan, government affairs director for the Met Council, told senators the reviser's drafted language reflected how the bill was submitted but that staff would work with committee members to resolve any technical drafting questions.
Senators asked for documentation to confirm how federal rules (49 C.F.R.) and state targeted-business language align with the bill. Ashanti Payne of the Met Council confirmed parts of the bill mirror federal language in 49 C.F.R. while other parts follow state definitions.
Action: Senator Dibble moved that Senate File 2038 be recommended to pass and be referred to the committee on State and Local Government; the committee approved the motion by voice vote and referred the bill.
Committee members agreed to follow up on drafting concerns before the bill advances further.
