House File 2399 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 2399 BY GOLDING A BILL FOR An Act relating to the awarding of public improvement 1 contracts. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 6164HH (4) 91 sc/js
H.F. 2399 Section 1. Section 26.9, subsection 1, Code 2026, is amended 1 to read as follows: 2 1. a. The contract for the public improvement must be 3 awarded to the lowest responsive, responsible bidder or, if 4 the lowest responsive, responsible bid is from a contractor 5 whose headquarters is located more than fifty miles from the 6 public improvement for which the contractor is submitting 7 a bid, the contract may be awarded to a local contractor 8 whose bid is no more than ten percent greater than the lowest 9 responsive, responsible bid . However, contracts relating to 10 public utilities or extensions or improvements thereof, as 11 described in sections 384.80 through 384.94 , may be awarded by 12 the city as it deems to be in the best interests of the city. 13 This section shall not be construed to prohibit a governmental 14 entity in the award of a contract for a public improvement 15 or a governing body of a city utility from providing, in the 16 award of a contract for a public improvement, an enhancement 17 of payments upon early completion of the public improvement if 18 the availability of the enhancement payments is included in the 19 notice to bidders, the enhancement payments are competitively 20 neutral to potential bidders, the enhancement payments are 21 considered as a separate item in the public hearing on the 22 award of contract, and the total value of the enhancement 23 payments does not exceed ten percent of the value of the 24 contract. 25 b. For purposes of this subsection, “local contractor” means 26 a contractor whose business headquarters is located within 27 fifty miles of the public improvement for which the contractor 28 is submitting a bid. 29 EXPLANATION 30 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 31 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 32 Under current law, a contract for a public improvement must 33 be awarded to the lowest responsive, responsible bidder. This 34 bill provides that a contract for a public improvement may be 35 -1- LSB 6164HH (4) 91 sc/js 1/ 2
H.F. 2399 awarded to a local contractor whose bid is within 10 percent 1 of the cost of the lowest responsive, responsible bid when the 2 lowest responsive, responsible bid is from a contractor whose 3 headquarters is located more than 50 miles from the public 4 improvement for which the contractor is submitting a bid. 5 The bill defines “local contractor” as a contractor whose 6 business headquarters is located within 50 miles of the public 7 improvement for which the contractor is submitting a bid. 8 -2- LSB 6164HH (4) 91 sc/js 2/ 2