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Committee approves expanding ‘best value’ procurement option for school construction
Summary
AB 361 would remove a sunset and allow school districts statewide to use a best‑value procurement method used by Los Angeles Unified; the Education Committee voted to pass the bill as amended to allow wider use and asked follow‑up questions about design and scope.
Assemblymember Schultz presented AB 361 to extend and expand Los Angeles Unified School District’s pilot best‑value procurement method for school construction projects to other districts statewide and remove the program’s sunset. Sponsors from LAUSD described best value as an option — not a mandate — that lets districts weigh experience, quality and performance in addition to price for complex school construction projects.
LAUSD representative Sasha Horwitz said the pilot reduced change orders, schedule delays and administrative costs. Support came from the state building trades, school business officials, county offices and the California School Boards Association; CSBA asked to expand authorization to include county offices of education and the author accepted amendments to address reporting and scope.
Committee questions focused on technical points such as whether the method covers post‑design bidding or can cover design‑build phases. The LAUSD representative asked to confirm design coverage later with staff; members expressed interest in additional flexibility to reduce construction costs, noting statewide school construction spending tied to bond measures and Proposition 2.
The committee voted to pass AB 361 as amended (the transcript records a 5‑vote outcome with one abstention at the time of the roll call). The bill will move to Appropriations for further review.
