Design Bid Build Highway Project Contract Awards

Design bid build highway project contracts - authority of department of transportation to award in amounts exceeding department estimates - public posting of contracting opportunities. If there are fewer than 3 bidders on a design bid build highway project, department of transportation (CDOT) generally may not award a contract in an amount that is more than 10% over CDOT's estimate on the project, but state law allows the executive director of CDOT (executive director) to award a contract that is more than 10% but less than 25% over the estimate if the estimate is less than $1,000,000. The act authorizes a designee of the executive director to award such a contract.

Another provision of state law, which had been scheduled to repeal on July 1, 2018, authorizes the executive director to award a contract for a design bid build highway project to the low responsible bidder regardless of CDOT's estimate on the project if the executive director determines that it is in the best financial, economic, or other interest of the state to do so and requires CDOT, in its annual report to its legislative oversight committees, to explain the reasons for making the award and estimate the amount of cost savings achieved by making any such award. The act continues the authorization and reporting requirements. The act also requires the department to prominently post on its website a list of each state transportation project for which the department is seeking a contractor.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)