SB0263 Summary

• Department of Transportation must establish a committee within 30 days to review prequalification rules for contractors and determine if they create barriers for minority-owned and women-owned contractors, with recommendations due to the Secretary of Transportation within 180 days.

• Department and Capital Development Board must hold 2 public hearings to identify more effective prequalification methods for architects, engineers, and contractors, and increase participation by small, minority, female, disabled, and veteran-owned businesses, with joint findings due to the Governor and General Assembly by January 1, 2018.

• Creates a new performance evaluation system for contractors using a 0-8 rating scale based on work quality, organization, cooperation, traffic control, Equal Employment Opportunity compliance, erosion control, and quality assurance; evaluations subject to Freedom of Information Act disclosure.

• Work ratings may be denied or revoked if weighted performance evaluation values are less than 6 for 2 consecutive years or less than 3 for one year; a rating of 0 on any single contract results in immediate revocation.

• Creates a Class 4 felony for knowingly manipulating contractor work rating factors to disqualify or qualify contractors who would otherwise be ineligible or eligible.