Substitute Bill No. 391 Summary

• Strengthens the State Contracting Standards Board by guaranteeing its budget, appointing a Chief Procurement Officer for oversight, and requiring at least five full-time employees to enforce procurement standards across state agencies

• Extends procurement compliance requirements to quasi-public agencies effective July 1, 2024, requiring all their contracts to include provisions ensuring accountability, transparency, and results-based outcomes

• Lowers the employee layoff threshold triggering privatization contract restrictions from 100 to 25 employees and requires detailed business cases analyzing impacts on workers of color, women workers, and workforce qualifications before privatization approval

• Requires all state contracting agency contracts entered after July 1, 2024 to provide the state access to contractor data upon demand at no additional cost, and establishes standards for contractor suspension and disqualification procedures

• Establishes a Contracting Standards Advisory Council with representatives from state agencies and quasi-public agencies to discuss procurement issues and make recommendations to the State Contracting Standards Board