Bill Text: NY S07511 | 2011-2012 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Relates to the submission of electronic bids in the awarding of certain contracts in the village of Port Chester and the city of New Rochelle.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-05-30 - REFERRED TO CONSUMER PROTECTION [S07511 Detail]

Download: New_York-2011-S07511-Introduced.html
                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         7511
                                   I N  S E N A T E
                                     May 30, 2012
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  Sen.  OPPENHEIMER -- read twice and ordered printed, and
         when printed to be committed to the Committee on Consumer Protection
       AN ACT to amend the general municipal law, in  relation  to  letting  of
         certain contracts
         THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 103 of the general municipal  law,
    2  as  amended  by  chapter  2  of  the laws of 2012, is amended to read as
    3  follows:
    4    1. Except as otherwise expressly provided by an act of the legislature
    5  or by a local law adopted prior to  September  first,  nineteen  hundred
    6  fifty-three,  all  contracts for public work involving an expenditure of
    7  more than  thirty-five  thousand  dollars  and  all  purchase  contracts
    8  involving  an expenditure of more than twenty thousand dollars, shall be
    9  awarded by the appropriate officer,  board  or  agency  of  a  political
   10  subdivision  or  of  any district therein including but not limited to a
   11  soil conservation district to the lowest responsible  bidder  furnishing
   12  the  required security after advertisement for sealed bids in the manner
   13  provided by this section, provided,  however,  that  purchase  contracts
   14  (including  contracts  for  service  work,  but  excluding  any purchase
   15  contracts necessary for the completion of a public works contract pursu-
   16  ant to article eight of the labor law) may be awarded on  the  basis  of
   17  best  value,  as defined in section one hundred sixty-three of the state
   18  finance law, to a responsive and responsible bidder or  offerer  in  the
   19  manner  provided  by this section except that in a political subdivision
   20  other than a city with a population of one million inhabitants  or  more
   21  or  any  district, board or agency with jurisdiction exclusively therein
   22  the use of best value for  awarding  a  purchase  contract  or  purchase
   23  contracts  must be authorized by local law or, in the case of a district
   24  corporation,  school  district  or  board  of  cooperative   educational
   25  services, by rule, regulation or resolution adopted at a public meeting.
   26  In  any case where a responsible bidder's or responsible offerer's gross
   27  price is reducible by an allowance for  the  value  of  used  machinery,
   28  equipment,  apparatus  or  tools to be traded in by a political subdivi-
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD15771-02-2
       S. 7511                             2
    1  sion, the gross price shall be reduced by the amount of such  allowance,
    2  for  the  purpose  of determining the best value.  In cases where two or
    3  more responsible bidders furnishing the required security submit identi-
    4  cal  bids  as  to  price,  such  officer,  board or agency may award the
    5  contract to any of such bidders. Such officer, board or agency  may,  in
    6  his  or her or its discretion, reject all bids or offers and readvertise
    7  for new bids or offers in the manner provided by this section. In deter-
    8  mining whether a purchase is an  expenditure  within  the  discretionary
    9  threshold amounts established by this subdivision, the officer, board or
   10  agency  of  a  political  subdivision  or  of any district therein shall
   11  consider the reasonably expected aggregate amount of  all  purchases  of
   12  the  same  commodities,  services  or  technology  to be made within the
   13  twelve-month period commencing on the date of purchase.    Purchases  of
   14  commodities,  services  or  technology shall not be artificially divided
   15  for the purpose of satisfying the discretionary buying thresholds estab-
   16  lished by this subdivision. A change to or a renewal of a  discretionary
   17  purchase shall not be permitted if the change or renewal would bring the
   18  reasonably  expected  aggregate  amount  of  all  purchases  of the same
   19  commodities, services or technology from the same  provider  within  the
   20  twelve-month  period  commencing on the date of the first purchase to an
   21  amount greater than  the  discretionary  buying  threshold  amount.  For
   22  purposes  of  this  section,  "sealed bids" and "sealed offers", as that
   23  term applies to purchase contracts,  (including  contracts  for  service
   24  work,  but excluding any purchase contracts necessary for the completion
   25  of a public works contract pursuant to article eight of the  labor  law)
   26  shall  include bids and offers submitted in an electronic format includ-
   27  ing submission of the statement of non-collusion required by section one
   28  hundred three-d of this article, provided that the  governing  board  of
   29  the political subdivision or district, by resolution, has authorized the
   30  receipt  of  bids  and  offers  in such format. Submission in electronic
   31  format may, for technology contracts only, be required as the sole meth-
   32  od for the submission of bids and offers. Bids and offers  submitted  in
   33  an electronic format shall be transmitted by bidders and offerers to the
   34  receiving  device  designated  by the political subdivision or district.
   35  Any method used to receive electronic bids and offers shall comply  with
   36  article three of the state technology law, and any rules and regulations
   37  promulgated  and guidelines developed thereunder and, at a minimum, must
   38  (a) document the time and date of receipt of each bid and offer received
   39  electronically; (b) authenticate the identity of the sender; (c)  ensure
   40  the  security  of the information transmitted; and (d) ensure the confi-
   41  dentiality of the bid or offer until the time and date  established  for
   42  the  opening  of  bids or offers. The timely submission of an electronic
   43  bid  or  offer  in  compliance  with  instructions  provided  for   such
   44  submission in the advertisement for bids or offers and/or the specifica-
   45  tions  shall  be  the responsibility solely of each bidder or offerer or
   46  prospective bidder or offerer.  No  political  subdivision  or  district
   47  therein shall incur any liability from delays of or interruptions in the
   48  receiving device designated for the submission and receipt of electronic
   49  bids  and offers.   DURING THE PERIOD BEGINNING JUNE FIRST, TWO THOUSAND
   50  TWELVE, AND ENDING MARCH THIRTY-FIRST, TWO THOUSAND SIXTEEN, THE VILLAGE
   51  OF PORT CHESTER AND THE CITY OF NEW ROCHELLE, IN WESTCHESTER COUNTY MAY,
   52  FOR COMMODITY,  SERVICE  AND  TECHNOLOGY  CONTRACTS  REQUIRE  ELECTRONIC
   53  SUBMISSION  AS THE SOLE METHOD FOR THE SUBMISSION OF BIDS FOR THE SOLIC-
   54  ITATION. SUCH MUNICIPALITIES  SHALL,  DURING  THE  STATED  TIME  PERIOD,
   55  UNDERTAKE  NO MORE THAN FIFTY SUCH ELECTRONIC BID SOLICITATIONS, NONE OF
   56  WHICH SHALL BE REVERSE AUCTIONS, PRIOR  TO  APRIL  FIRST,  TWO  THOUSAND
       S. 7511                             3
    1  SIXTEEN.  IN  ADDITION,  SUCH  MUNICIPALITIES  MAY  CONDUCT UP TO TWENTY
    2  REVERSE AUCTIONS THROUGH ELECTRONIC MEANS, PRIOR  TO  APRIL  FIRST,  TWO
    3  THOUSAND SIXTEEN.  PRIOR TO REQUIRING THE ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION OF BIDS,
    4  THE CHIEF FISCAL OFFICERS OF THE CITY OF NEW ROCHELLE AND THE VILLAGE OF
    5  PORT  CHESTER  SHALL  MAKE A DETERMINATION, WHICH SHALL BE DOCUMENTED IN
    6  THE PROCUREMENT RECORD, THAT ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION AFFORDS  A  FAIR  AND
    7  EQUAL OPPORTUNITY FOR OFFERERS TO SUBMIT RESPONSIVE OFFERS. WITHIN THIR-
    8  TY  DAYS  OF THE COMPLETION OF THE FIFTIETH ELECTRONIC BID SOLICITATION,
    9  OR BY APRIL FIRST, TWO THOUSAND SIXTEEN, WHICHEVER IS EARLIER, THE CHIEF
   10  FISCAL OFFICERS OF THE CITY OF NEW ROCHELLE  AND  THE  VILLAGE  OF  PORT
   11  CHESTER SHALL PREPARE AND ISSUE REPORTS TO THE LEGISLATURE ASSESSING THE
   12  USE  OF ELECTRONIC SUBMISSIONS AND MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING FUTURE
   13  USE OF THIS PROCUREMENT METHOD. IN ADDITION, WITHIN THIRTY DAYS  OF  THE
   14  COMPLETION OF THE TWENTIETH REVERSE AUCTION THROUGH ELECTRONIC MEANS, OR
   15  BY  APRIL  FIRST,  TWO THOUSAND SIXTEEN, WHICHEVER IS EARLIER, THE CHIEF
   16  FISCAL OFFICERS OF THE CITY OF NEW ROCHELLE  AND  THE  VILLAGE  OF  PORT
   17  CHESTER SHALL PREPARE AND ISSUE REPORTS TO THE LEGISLATURE ASSESSING THE
   18  USE  OF  REVERSE  AUCTIONS THROUGH ELECTRONIC MEANS AND MAKE RECOMMENDA-
   19  TIONS REGARDING FUTURE USE OF THIS PROCUREMENT  METHOD.    SUCH  REPORTS
   20  SHALL  BE  PUBLISHED  ON THE OFFICIAL WEBSITES OF THE RESPECTIVE MUNICI-
   21  PALITIES AND SHALL BE PROVIDED ELECTRONICALLY TO THE CHAIR OF THE SENATE
   22  FINANCE COMMITTEE, THE ASSEMBLY WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE AND THE COMMIS-
   23  SIONER OF THE OFFICE OF GENERAL SERVICES.
   24    S 2. This act shall take effect immediately; provided that the  amend-
   25  ments  to subdivision 1 of section 103 of the general municipal law made
   26  by section one of this act shall not affect the expiration and reversion
   27  of such subdivision and shall expire therewith.
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