8A.344  Public printing — bidding procedures.
  1.  The director shall advertise for bids for public printing. Advertisements shall state where and how specifications and other necessary information may be obtained, the time during which the director will receive bids, and the day, hour, and place when bids will be publicly opened or accessed, and the manner by which the contracts will be awarded.
  2.  The director shall supply prospective bidders and others on request with the specifications and requirements, blank forms for bids, samples of printing so far as possible, and all other information pertaining to the subject.
  3.  The specifications shall be kept on file in the office of the director, open to public inspection, together with samples so far as possible, of the work to be done or the material to be furnished.
  4.  Bids submitted must be:
  a.  Secured in writing, by telephone, by facsimile, or in a format prescribed by the director as indicated in the bid specifications.
  b.  Signed by the bidder, or if a telephone or electronic bid, confirmed by the bidder in a manner prescribed by the director.
  c.  Submitted in a format prescribed by the director which reasonably assures the authenticity of the bid and the bidder’s identity.
  d.  Submitted to the department as specified by the date and time established in the advertisements for bids.
  5.  When a bidder submits a bid to the department, the director may require the bidder to file a bid bond or a certified or cashier’s check payable to the treasurer of state in an amount to be fixed in the bid specifications, either covering all classes or items or services, or separate certified or cashier’s checks for each bid in case the bidder makes more than one bid. In lieu of a certified or cashier’s check, the bidder may furnish a yearly bond in an amount to be established by the director. Certified or cashier’s checks deposited by unsuccessful bidders, and by successful bidders when they have entered into the contract, shall be returned to them.
  6.  All bids shall be publicly opened or accessed and read and the contracts awarded in the manner designated in the bid specifications. In the award of a contract, due consideration shall be given to the price bid, mechanical and other equipment proposed to be used by the bidder, the financial responsibility of the bidder, the bidder’s ability and experience in the performance of similar contracts, and any other factors that the department determines are relevant and that are included in the bid specifications.
  7.  The director shall have the right to reject any or all bids, and in case of rejection or because of failure of a bidder to enter into a contract, the director may advertise for and secure new bids.
  8.  When the director is satisfied that bidders have presented bids pursuant to an agreement, understanding, or combination to prevent free competition, the director shall reject all of them and readvertise for bids as in the first instance.
2003 Acts, ch 145, §48