Idaho Bills

Amends, repeals, and adds to existing law regarding the procurement of property by the State of Idaho.

RS33650 / H0889 This legislation clarifies the state procurement processes for purchases made under the Idaho State Procurement Act and through the Division of Purchasing. Changes include: 1) Definitions for “best and final offer,” “frivolous protest,” “multiple award,” “request for information,” “request for proposal,” and “request for quote;” 2) Establishes that the administrator shall set a date and time for best and final offers, including a provision that treats the immediate offer as best and final; 3) Requires the administrator to work with subject matter experts in the requesting agency to ensure contractual terms meet functional and operational requirements; 4) Allows for a multiple-award contract; 5) Establishes that the bid analysis or scoring must be published with the notice of solicitation and only changed with a formal solicitation amendment or best and final offer process, so long as it doesn’t materially change the intent or purpose of the original solicitation; 6) Prior performance on state contracts may now be used to determine a bid’s qualification; 7) Any contracts requiring federal funding must be finalized between the state and the vendor prior to submission for approval to avoid unnecessary delays; 8) Technical information provided by vendors remains confidential unless the vendor participates in the relevant solicitation; 9) The addition of a vendor debarment process, which may prevent a vendor from bidding on state projects or services for up to three years; 10) Employment “cooling off” period for elected officials and individuals who worked for the state prior to working with vendors; 11) The addition of a protest bond for vendors who pursue a protest of a bid award; and 12) Vendors, employees of vendors, or any person working on their behalf must report financial expenditures over $50 related to procurement.