This bill aims to revise state building construction procurement laws by increasing various cost thresholds that dictate when legislative approval is necessary and when supervision requirements apply. It introduces provisions for inflationary adjustments to these thresholds through rulemaking, thereby allowing for more flexibility in response to economic changes. Additionally, the bill grants the Department of Administration the authority to negotiate contracts without competitive bidding in cases of emergency or public exigency, as well as to negotiate larger deductive changes when project bids exceed appropriations.

Furthermore, the legislation raises the cost threshold for the Department of Administration to prepare working drawings and for waiving certain security requirements. It also allows for public notice of competitive bidding to be conducted electronically and permits bids to be secured by an irrevocable letter of credit. The bill includes provisions for rulemaking authority and establishes reporting requirements, amending several sections of the Montana Code Annotated (MCA) to implement these changes, with an immediate effective date.

Statutes affected:
HB0151_1.pdf: 18-2-102, 18-2-103, 18-2-105, 18-2-111, 18-2-201, 18-2-301, 18-2-302, 18-2-501
HB0151_2.pdf: 18-2-102, 18-2-103, 18-2-105, 18-2-111, 18-2-201, 18-2-301, 18-2-302, 18-2-501
HB0151_3.pdf: 18-2-102, 18-2-103, 18-2-105, 18-2-111, 18-2-201, 18-2-301, 18-2-302, 18-2-501
Amended: 18-2-102, 18-2-103, 18-2-105, 18-2-111, 18-2-201, 18-2-301, 18-2-302, 18-2-501
Introduced: 18-2-102, 18-2-103, 18-2-105, 18-2-111, 18-2-201, 18-2-301, 18-2-302, 18-2-501