MS SB2678

Restructures the Personal Service Contract Review Board from 5 agency heads to 8 members: the State Personnel Director plus 7 appointed members (4 by the Governor, 1 each by the Secretary of State, Attorney General, and Lieutenant Governor), all requiring Senate confirmation and at least 5 years of management experience, with conflicts-of-interest restrictions on appointees.

Removes most exemptions from board review in a phased implementation: Phase 1 (until July 1, 2016) retains exemptions for MDOT, IT services, and professional services like attorneys and accountants; Phase 2 (July 1, 2016–July 1, 2017) eliminates all exemptions except IT services; Phase 3 (after July 1, 2017) lowers the contract approval threshold from $100,000 to $80,000 and requires mandatory competitive bidding standards.

Establishes a detailed sole source contract review process requiring agencies to publish proposed sole source contracts on the state procurement portal for at least 30 days, justify why only one provider exists, and submit proposals at least 190 days before the service is needed, with an appeal process to the board if objections are raised.

Creates a binding arbitration process through the American Arbitration Association for agencies that disagree with the board's denial of a contract, and provides that contracts not acted upon within 30 days of submission are presumed approved.

Requires individuals who perform both consulting and lobbying services for public entities to be classified as lobbyists subject to all lobbying registration and reporting laws, and clarifies that personal and professional services contracts must be included on the Mississippi Transparency website.