House Bill No. [insert number] proposes significant modifications to the Construction Management at Risk (CMAR) option within Louisiana's Public Bid Law. The bill revises the composition of the selection review committee, which will now include one representative of the owner, one design professional, one principal or employee of a licensed contractor, and two additional professionals from relevant disciplines, all of whom must not be involved in the project. It also establishes quorum requirements for committee meetings, ensuring that a quorum consists of the owner's representative, a design professional, and a licensed contractor's principal or employee. Furthermore, the bill mandates a public training meeting prior to the evaluation of proposals and requires that Requests for Qualifications (RFQs) be advertised in the official journal of the state and on electronic bidding systems.

In addition to these structural changes, the bill emphasizes a qualifications-based selection process by prohibiting the committee from considering a proposer's fees or compensation until after a contractor has been selected. This aims to ensure that evaluations focus solely on qualifications and relevant factors outlined in the RFQ. The bill also introduces provisions for ranking tied proposals clearly and includes amendments to several sections of R.S. 38:2225.2.4 to clarify the evaluation process and criteria for contractor selection. Overall, the proposed legislation seeks to enhance the integrity and fairness of the contractor selection process by prioritizing qualifications over cost considerations in the initial evaluation stages.

Statutes affected:
HB887 Original: 38:4(B)(5)