Committee approves bill to expand use of design-build procurement for state construction

The committee carried Senate Bill 2300, a measure to open state code sections to permit design-build procurement and to allow greater prequalification of contractors for larger projects. The committee chair described the bill as intended to increase government efficiency in construction projects and to reduce instances where low bidders are later found unqualified.

The chair said the change would allow combining design and construction responsibilities under one contract in some projects so designers and builders can work more closely. He said the bill would also enable a prequalification step to ensure firms bidding on large projects are capable of performing at the contract’s scale. “A little bit of a prequalification point, understanding if someone's really good in a 1 to $2,000,000 space and they jump out there to 15 or $20,000,000 space, maybe a little more vetting to say, are they good enough to do this?” the chair said.

The chair described prior problems in which contractors awarded large projects later failed to perform, forced bond calls, and caused project delays and additional costs. He said design-build can increase “synergy” by having design and construction functions more closely aligned. The committee carried the bill by voice vote; the transcript records no opposition during the excerpt and no roll-call tally was provided.

The sponsor noted the bill may require further drafting and stakeholder input as it moves forward; he said he expects to work with interested parties on the details. The committee did not record a fiscal estimate or implementation timeline in this excerpt.