HOUSE BILL No. 6041

 

May 4, 2006, Introduced by Reps. Moore, David Law, Baxter, Rocca, Mortimer, Casperson and Farhat and referred to the Committee on Commerce.

 

     A bill to amend 1984 PA 431, entitled

 

"The management and budget act,"

 

by amending sections 261 and 268 (MCL 18.1261 and 18.1268), section

 

261 as amended by 2005 PA 91 and section 268 as added by 1988 PA

 

237, and by adding section 268a.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 261. (1) The department shall provide for the purchase

 

of, the contracting for, and the providing of supplies, materials,

 

services, insurance, utilities, third party financing, equipment,

 

printing, and all other items as needed by state agencies for which

 

the legislature has not otherwise expressly provided. In all

 

purchases made by the department,  all other things being equal,  

 

preference shall be given to products manufactured or services


 

offered by Michigan-based firms, if consistent with federal

 

statutes. The department shall solicit competitive bids from the

 

private sector  whenever practicable  to efficiently and

 

effectively meet the state's needs. The department shall first

 

determine that competitive solicitation of bids in the private

 

sector is not appropriate before it shall use any other procurement

 

method for an acquisition.

 

     (2) The department shall make all discretionary decisions

 

concerning the solicitation, award, amendment, cancellation, and

 

appeal of state contracts.

 

     (3) The department shall utilize competitive bidding for all

 

purchases authorized pursuant to subsection (1) unless the

 

department has determined that  another procurement method is in

 

the state's best interests  an emergency exists. If an emergency

 

exists, the department may use another procurement method that is

 

in this state's best interests.

 

     (4) The department may delegate its procurement authority to

 

other state agencies within dollar limitations and for designated

 

types of procurements. The department may withdraw delegated

 

authority upon a finding that a state agency did not comply with

 

departmental procurement directives.

 

     (5) The department may enter into lease purchases or

 

installment purchases for periods not exceeding the anticipated

 

useful life of the items purchased unless otherwise prohibited by

 

law.

 

     (6) The department shall issue directives for the procurement,

 

receipt, inspection, and storage of supplies, materials, and


 

equipment, and for printing and services needed by state agencies.

 

The department shall provide standard specifications and standards

 

of performance applicable to purchases.

 

     (7) The department may enter into a cooperative purchasing

 

agreement with 1 or more other states or public entities for the

 

purchase of goods, including, but not limited to, recycled goods,

 

and services necessary for state programs.

 

     (8) In awarding a contract under this section, the department

 

shall give a preference of up to 10% of the amount of the contract

 

to a qualified disabled veteran. If the qualified disabled veteran

 

otherwise meets the requirements of the contract solicitation and

 

with the preference is the lowest bidder, the department shall

 

enter into a procurement contract with the qualified disabled

 

veteran under this act. If 2 or more qualified disabled veterans

 

are the lowest bidders on a contract, all other things being equal,

 

the qualified disabled veteran with the lowest bid shall be awarded

 

the contract under this act.

 

     (9) It is the goal of the department to award each year not

 

less than 3% of its total expenditures for construction, goods, and

 

services to qualified disabled veterans. The department may count

 

toward its 3% yearly goal described in this subsection that portion

 

of all procurement contracts in which the business entity that

 

received the procurement contract subcontracts with a qualified

 

disabled veteran. Each year, the department shall report to each

 

house of the legislature on all of the following for the

 

immediately preceding 12-month period:

 

     (a) The number of qualified disabled veterans who submitted a


 

bid for a state procurement contract.

 

     (b) The number of qualified disabled veterans who entered into

 

procurement contracts with this state and the total value of those

 

procurement contracts.

 

     (c) Whether the department achieved the goal described in this

 

subsection.

 

     (d) The recommendations described in subsection (10).

 

     (10) Each year, the department shall review the progress of

 

all state agencies in meeting the 3% goal with input from statewide

 

veterans service organizations and from the business community,

 

including businesses owned by qualified disabled veterans, and

 

shall make recommendations to each house of the legislature

 

regarding continuation, increases, or decreases in the percentage

 

goal. The recommendations shall be based upon the number of

 

businesses that are owned by qualified disabled veterans and on the

 

continued need to encourage and promote businesses owned by

 

qualified disabled veterans.

 

     (11) To assist the department in reaching the goal described

 

in subsection (9), the governor shall recommend to the legislature

 

changes in programs to assist businesses owned by qualified

 

disabled veterans.

 

     (12) For the purchase of goods or services, the department

 

shall issue a request for qualifications prior to soliciting bids

 

that complies with all of the following:

 

     (a) The request for qualifications shall be published on the

 

department's website.

 

     (b) The request for qualifications shall contain, at a


 

minimum, a description of the goods or services to be purchased

 

including the standard specifications and standards of performance

 

applicable to the purchase, the general scope of the work, the

 

deadline for submission of information, and how prospective bidders

 

may apply for consideration. The request for qualifications shall

 

be broadly written to maximize the number of competitive bids.

 

     (c) The request for qualifications shall require a prospective

 

bidder to provide, at a minimum, all of the following information:

 

     (i) Whether the prospective bidder is a "class 1 bidder",

 

"class 2 bidder", or "class 3 bidder", as those terms are defined

 

in section 268.

 

     (ii) For goods, the prospective bidder's product

 

specifications.

 

     (iii) For services, the prospective bidder's qualifications.

 

     (iv) For goods and services, the prospective bidder's

 

experience.

 

     (v) The prospective bidder's ability to perform the

 

requirements of the contract.

 

     (d) After receipt of the responses to the request for

 

qualifications from prospective bidders, the department shall rank

 

prospective bidders in the order of most qualified to least

 

qualified on the basis of the information submitted by prospective

 

bidders. In ranking prospective bidders, preference shall be given

 

to a class 1 bidder over a class 2 bidder, and a class 2 bidder

 

over a class 3 bidder.

 

     (e) The department shall issue an invitation to bid to at

 

least the 2 top-ranking prospective bidders.


 

     (13)  (12)  As used in this section:

 

     (a) "Emergency" means an act of God, natural disaster, act of

 

terrorism, or act of war that has affected or is reasonably likely

 

to affect this state.

 

     (b)  (a)  "Qualified disabled veteran" means a business entity

 

that is 51% or more owned by 1 or more veterans with a service-

 

connected disability.

 

     (c)  (b)  "Service-connected disability" means a disability

 

incurred or aggravated in the line of duty in the active military,

 

naval, or air service as described in 38 USC 101(16).

 

     (d)  (c)  "Veteran" means a person who served in the active

 

military, naval, or air service and who was discharged or released

 

from his or her service under conditions other than dishonorable.

 

     Sec. 268.  (1) A bidder for a state contract is a Michigan

 

business for the purposes of this section if it certifies that it

 

has done any of the following during the 12 months immediately

 

preceding the bid deadline or for the period the business has been

 

in existence, if the business is newly established within the 12

 

months immediately preceding the bid deadline:

 

     (a) Filed a Michigan single business tax return showing a

 

portion or all of the income tax base allocated or apportioned to

 

the state of Michigan pursuant to the Michigan single business tax

 

act, Act No. 228 of the Public Acts of 1975, being sections 208.1

 

to 208.145 of the Michigan Compiled Laws.

 

     (b) Filed a Michigan income tax return showing income

 

generated in or attributed to the state of Michigan.

 

     (c) Withheld Michigan income tax from compensation paid to the


 

bidder's owners and remitted the tax to the department of treasury.

 

     (2) The filing or withholding shall be more than a nominal

 

filing for the purpose of gaining the status of a Michigan

 

business, but shall indicate a significant business presence in the

 

state, considering the size of the business and the nature of its

 

activities.

 

     (3) A bidder certifying that it meets the criteria for a

 

Michigan business listed in subsections (1) and (2) shall authorize

 

the department of treasury to verify that the bidder has or has not

 

met 1 of the 3 criteria in subsection (1). This authorization shall

 

permit the department of treasury to disclose the verifying

 

information to the procuring agency in accordance with the

 

procedures established by section 28 of Act No. 122 of the Public

 

Acts of 1941, being section 205.28 of the Michigan Compiled Laws.

 

     (1)  (4)  Only a bidder that has certified that it is a

 

Michigan business is entitled to have the department apply a

 

reciprocal preference in its favor against a business that submits

 

a bid from a state which applies a preference law against out-of-

 

state bidders. A bidder that does not certify that it is a Michigan

 

business shall indicate in its bid the state in which it maintains

 

its principal place of business for the purpose of applying that

 

state's preference law against the bidder.

 

     (2)  (5)  If the low bid for a state procurement exceeds  

 

$100,000.00  $25,000.00 and is from a business located in a state

 

which applies a preference law against out-of-state businesses, the

 

department shall prefer a bid from a Michigan business in the same

 

manner in which the out-of-state bidder would be preferred in its


 

home state.

 

     (3)  (6)  The department shall compile a list of states that

 

give preference to in-state bidders and the extent of the

 

preference and shall update the list at least annually. An agency

 

may rely on this compilation in implementing the provisions of this

 

act without incurring liability to any bidder.

 

     (4)  (7)  A bidder waives any entitlement to claim a

 

preference under this act if the bidder has not certified in its

 

bid that the bidder is a Michigan business and has not authorized

 

the department of treasury to release information necessary to

 

verify the entitlement.

 

     (5)  (8)  A bidder shall not fraudulently certify that it is a

 

Michigan business under this act or falsely indicate the state in

 

which it has its principal place of business for the purpose of

 

avoiding application of the reciprocal preference.

 

     (6)  (9)  A business, or the principals of a business, that

 

purposefully or willfully submits a false certification that it is

 

a Michigan business or a false certification that it qualifies as a

 

class 1 or class 2 bidder or that falsely indicates the state in

 

which it has its principal place of business is guilty of a felony  

 

,  punishable by a fine of not less than $25,000.00.

 

     (7)  (10) Two years after the effective date of this section,

 

the department shall review the costs and consequences of

 

implementing this section.  The department shall solicit input from

 

the business community and from state agencies  receiving  

 

initiating procurements affected by the provisions of this section,

 

and shall make recommendations to the legislature regarding


 

continuation or modification of this section.

 

     (8)  (11)  This section shall not apply to any procurement if

 

the provisions of this section would conflict with federal statute.

 

     (9) Within 6 months of the effective date of the amendatory

 

act that added this subsection, the department shall promulgate

 

administrative rules under the administrative procedures act of

 

1969, 1969 PA 306, MCL 24.201 to 24.328, governing the procedures

 

for applying for and certifying a bidder's class.

 

     (10) As used in this act:

 

     (a) "Class 1 bidder" means either of the following:

 

     (i) A person whose principal place of business or that of its

 

parent company is located in this state.

 

     (ii) A person that, at the time it completes the request for

 

qualifications, employs at least 50% of its employees in this

 

state. A person may qualify as a class 1 bidder if, in combination

 

with its subcontractor or subcontractors, it employs at least 50%

 

of its employees in this state at the time it completes the request

 

for qualifications.

 

     (b) "Class 2 bidder" means a person that, at the time it

 

completes the request for qualifications, employs at least 10% of

 

its employees in this state. A person may qualify as a class 2

 

bidder if, in combination with its subcontractor or subcontractors,

 

it employs at least 10% of its employees in this state at the time

 

it completes the request for qualifications.

 

     (c) "Class 3 bidder" means a person that does not qualify as a

 

class 1 bidder or class 2 bidder.

 

     Sec. 268a. The department shall report to the senate and house


 

of representatives committees on appropriations and the fiscal

 

agencies before January 30 of each year the following information

 

for contracts approved by the state administrative board by

 

department during the immediately preceding fiscal year:

 

     (a) The total number of contracts awarded and the number of

 

contracts awarded to class 1 bidders, class 2 bidders, and class 3

 

bidders.

 

     (b) The total value of contracts awarded and the total value

 

of contracts awarded to class 1 bidders, class 2 bidders, and class

 

3 bidders.

 

     (c) For awards in which competing bids were submitted by at

 

least 1 class 1 bidder or class 2 bidder and at least 1 class 3

 

bidder, the total number of contracts awarded to class 1 bidders

 

and class 2 bidders compared to the total number of contracts

 

awarded to class 3 bidders, and the value of contracts awarded to

 

class 1 bidders and class 2 bidders compared to the total value of

 

contracts awarded to class 3 bidders.