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Utah Senate advances bill limiting universities from competing with private firms on engineering and architecture contracts
Summary
Senate substitute SB 20 would let state and local agencies request help from higher-education institutions but bar universities from competing in formal procurement where taxpayer-funded resources could give them an unfair cost advantage; the bill advanced to third reading after extended Q&A.
Senator Blackcomb on Jan. 18 introduced Substitute Senate Bill 20, which clarifies how state and local governments may engage higher-education institutions for architecture and engineering work and restricts universities from competing in formal procurement processes when they would use taxpayer-funded resources to bid against private firms. Senator Blackcomb said the measure "allows a government entity to approach a university for help" while preventing a university from entering a competitive RFP process that would undercut private-sector bidders by leveraging state-paid assets.
Supporters and committee reports told senators the bill was intended to strike a balance: preserve universities as a resource for research, student training and technical assistance while…
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