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Vote on HB377 postponed after questions about qualification-based selection for local governments
Summary
Committee members questioned HB377 (substitute for SB51), which would require qualification-based selection for architects, engineers and related professional services for local governments at specified thresholds. The sponsor and ACC Georgia explained the policy and an effective date change; the committee held the vote until the House sponsor can provide further clarification.
A Senate standing committee held action on HB377, a substitute for SB51 that would require local governments to use qualification-based selection (QBS) for architects, engineers, land surveyors and related professional services for projects estimated at $75,000 or more.
Senate and House sponsors described the measure as aligning local procurement with current state practice for state agencies. Christy Trello, director of government affairs for ACC Georgia, told the committee the bill is identical to SB51 aside from an effective date change to 2027 to give local governments more time to adjust. She said the measure preserves local control over which qualifications are considered and how firms are ranked before entering price negotiations.
Committee members pressed for clarity on dollar thresholds, the interaction with two-bid requirements that currently apply to certain procurement bands ($20,000–$200,000), and whether the bill might enable bid steering or sole-source outcomes if qualifications are narrowly defined. Trello and other presenters said the bill aims to increase competitiveness and that best-practice recommendations exist for qualifications, but senators continued to request specifics about protections against steering and the legislative history of the bill. One senator noted related bills (HB152 in the House and SB51 in the Senate) and asked for committee-level history; sponsors said SB51 passed through House Government Affairs last year but never reached the House floor.
Because several senators said they needed the House sponsor to clarify outstanding technical questions, the chair announced he would hold the vote until the House sponsor can appear and provide further detail. No formal vote on the substitute was taken during the meeting.
The committee’s discussion covered procurement mechanics (ranking, negotiation, the fallback to the next-ranked firm if price negotiations fail), exceptions for certain road and bridge work, and the potential effect on small firms. The sponsor and ACC Georgia characterized the bill as pro–small-business policy intended to preserve professional standards while giving local governments procurement flexibility.
