MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

1999 Regular Session

To: Fees, Salaries and Administration

By: Senator(s) Hawks

AN ACT TO REQUIRE ALL STATE AGENCIES TO USE STANDARDIZED FORMS PREPARED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION WHEN SOLICITING COMPETITIVE BIDS FOR PUBLIC CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS; TO PROVIDE FOR EXCEPTIONS THERETO; TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION TO STUDY THE FEASIBILITY OF ENTERING COMPACTS WITH THE ADJACENT STATES OF MISSISSIPPI TO IMPLEMENT UNIFORM BID PURCHASING FORMS FOR VENDORS AND PUBLIC CONTRACTORS; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. When soliciting competitive bids for public construction projects, all state agencies shall use standardized forms prepared by the Department of Finance and Administration. However, in such cases where the standardized forms do not adequately meet the needs of an agency's bid making process, then the Executive Director of the Department of Finance and Administration may exempt an agency from the requirement of using the standardized forms.

SECTION 2. (1) The Department of Finance and Administration shall study the feasibility of entering into compacts with the adjacent states of Mississippi to implement uniform bid purchasing forms for vendors and public contractors.

(2) The Department of Finance and Administration shall file a report to the Legislature on or before January 1, 2000, which shall contain its findings and conclusions from the study required in subsection (1) of this section.

SECTION 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 1999.