This bill amends various sections of Oklahoma statutes concerning public construction contracts and the Public Competitive Bidding Act. It removes certain contracts from the bidding requirements and establishes new procedures for contracts valued between $25,000 and $50,000 for school districts. The bill allows for electronic bids without a public bid opening and clarifies definitions related to public agencies and construction contracts. It introduces penalties for violations, including felony offenses for insider information and misdemeanors for knowingly violating the act. Additionally, it requires public trusts to obtain a two-thirds vote for creating indebtedness and mandates annual financial document submissions to beneficiaries.

The legislation also specifies local bid preferences, allowing local bidders to match the lowest nonlocal bid to qualify for preference. It sets new monetary thresholds for contracts, allowing negotiations for those under $10,000 and establishing bidding requirements for contracts ranging from $10,000 to $100,000. The bill enhances transparency by requiring all bids to be maintained for public inspection and introduces penalties for officials who disclose bid information prematurely. It mandates that public agencies purchase personal property over $10,000 from the lowest responsible vendor after soliciting written quotes. The act is set to take effect on November 1, 2026.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 60-176, 61-102, 61-103, 61-106, 61-110, 61-112, 61-114, 61-119.1, 61-121