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Senate committee pauses electronic-bidding bill after press objections
Summary
The Senate State Agencies Committee considered a bill to make electronic bidding optional for construction contracts; proponents cited cost savings and transparency, while newspaper groups said the change was rushed and would hurt Arkansans without internet access. The sponsor agreed to pull the bill for more consultation.
Senate members on the State Agencies & Governmental Affairs Committee on Tuesday debated changes to procurement notices that would allow — but not require — agencies to advertise and accept construction bids online instead of in printed newspapers.
Senator Flippo presented Senate Bill 409 and an amendment that deletes the bill—s first four sections to limit the effort to construction projects and make electronic bidding permissive. He said electronic bidding is optional and would be paid for by vendors who download bid documents rather than by agencies.
"This is a simple process and a simple bill and saves the taxpayers money," the sponsor said, citing industry studies that estimate average savings of about 16 percent from electronic bidding.
Ted Fleming, cofounder and chief operating officer of Central Bidding, told the committee vendors and agencies support the model and that entities do not pay for the service; vendors who choose to download documents pay associated fees.
Representatives of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and the Arkansas Press Association urged caution. Lynn Hamilton, president of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, said the press and newspapers statewide were not given adequate notice of the amendment and asked the committee to delay action so stakeholders could review the change.
"This is a huge change for the state of Arkansas," Hamilton said, arguing that tens of thousands of Arkansans still lack reliable internet in some rural areas and that newspapers remain an important means of local notice.
Committee members pressed for technical clarifications: Senator Hickey asked whether the amended language would cover cities, counties and school districts; the sponsor agreed the intent was to include those entities but said he would work with the Bureau of Legislative Research (BLR) to ensure statutory language matches intent.
After extended questioning and public testimony, the sponsor told the committee he would pull the bill from consideration to meet with press representatives and BLR staff and resolve outstanding drafting and notice issues.
The chair acknowledged the sponsor—s offer to delay further action, and the bill was withdrawn from the agenda for additional consultation.
