20688.6.
(a) (1) Notwithstanding any other law, an agency, with approval of its duly constituted board in a public hearing, may utilize an alternative procedure for bidding on projects in the community in excess of one million dollars ($1,000,000) and may award the project using either the lowest responsible bidder or by best value.(2) Only 10 design-build projects shall be authorized under this section.
(b) (1) It is the intent of the Legislature to enable entities as provided in Part 1 (commencing with Section 33000) of Division 24 of the Health and Safety Code to utilize design-build for those infrastructure improvements authorized in Sections 33421 and 33445 of the Health and Safety Code and subject to the limitations on that authority described in
Section 33421.1 of the Health and Safety Code.
(2) The Legislature also finds and declares that utilizing a design-build contract requires a clear understanding of the roles and responsibilities of each participant in the design-build process.
(3) (A) For contracts awarded prior to the effective date of either the regulations adopted by the Department of Industrial Relations pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 1771.55 of the Labor Code or the fees established by the department pursuant to subparagraph (B), if the board elects to proceed under this section, the board shall establish and enforce for design-build projects a labor compliance program containing the requirements outlined in Section 1771.5 of the Labor Code, or it shall contract with a third party to operate a labor compliance program containing the requirements outlined in Section 1771.5 of the Labor Code. This requirement shall not apply to any project where the
agency or the design-build entity has entered into any collective bargaining agreement or agreements that bind all of the contractors performing work on the projects.
(B) For contracts awarded on or after the effective date of both the regulations adopted by the Department of Industrial Relations pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 1771.55 of the Labor Code and the fees established by the department pursuant to this subparagraph, if the board elects to proceed under this section it shall pay a fee to the department, in an amount that the department shall establish, and as it may from time to time amend, sufficient to support the department’s costs in ensuring compliance with and enforcing prevailing wage requirements on the project, and labor compliance enforcement as set forth in subdivision (b) of Section 1771.55 of the Labor Code. All fees collected pursuant to this subdivision shall be deposited in the State Public Works Enforcement Fund, created by Section 1771.3 of the
Labor Code, and shall be used only for enforcement of prevailing wage requirements on those projects.
(C) The Department of Industrial Relations may waive the fee set forth in subdivision (b) for a board that has previously been granted approval by the director to initiate and operate a labor compliance program on its projects, and that requests to continue to operate the labor compliance program on its projects in lieu of labor compliance by the department pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 1771.55. This fee shall not be waived for a board that contracts with a third party to initiate and enforce labor compliance programs on the board’s projects.
(c) As used in this section:
(1) “Best value” means a value determined by objective criteria related to price, features, functions, and life-cycle costs.
(2) “Design-build” means a procurement process in which both the design and construction of a
project are procured from a single entity.
(3) “Design-build entity” means a partnership, corporation, or other legal entity that is able to provide appropriately licensed contracting, architectural, and engineering services as needed pursuant to a design-build contract.
(4) “Project” means those infrastructure improvements authorized in Sections 33421 and 33455 of the Health and Safety Code and subject to the limitations and conditions on that authority described in Article 10 (commencing with Section 33420) and Article 11 (commencing with Section 33430) of Chapter 4 of Part 1 of Division 24 of the Health and Safety Code.
(d) Design-build projects shall progress in a four-step process, as follows:
(1) (A) The agency shall prepare a set of documents setting forth the scope of the project. The documents may include, but are not limited to, the size, type, and desired design
character of the public improvement, performance specifications covering the quality of materials, equipment, and workmanship, preliminary plans or building layouts, or any other information deemed necessary to describe adequately the agency’s needs. The performance specifications and any plans shall be prepared by a design professional who is duly licensed and registered in California.
(B) Any architect or engineer retained by the agency to assist in the development of the project specific documents shall not be eligible to participate in the preparation of a bid with any design-build entity for that project.
(2) (A) Based on the documents prepared as described in paragraph (1), the agency shall prepare a request for proposals that invites interested parties to submit competitive sealed proposals in the manner prescribed by the agency. The request for proposals shall include, but is not limited to, the following elements:
(i) Identification of the basic scope and needs of the project or contract, the expected cost range, and other information deemed necessary by the agency to inform interested parties of the contracting opportunity, to include the methodology that will be used by the agency to evaluate proposals and specifically if the contract will be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder.
(ii) Significant factors that the agency reasonably expects to consider in evaluating proposals, including cost or price and all nonprice-related factors.
(iii) The relative importance of the weight assigned to each of the factors identified in the request for proposals.
(B) With respect to clause (iii) of subparagraph (A), if a nonweighted system is used, the agency shall specifically disclose whether all evaluation factors other than cost or price when combined are:
(i) Significantly more important
than cost or price.
(ii) Approximately equal in importance to cost or price.
(iii) Significantly less important than cost or price.
(C) If the agency chooses to reserve the right to hold discussions or negotiations with responsive bidders, it shall so specify in the request for proposal and shall publish separately or incorporate into the request for proposal applicable rules and procedures to be observed by the agency to ensure that any discussions or negotiations are conducted in good faith.
(3) (A) The agency shall establish a procedure to prequalify design-build entities using a standard questionnaire developed by the agency. In preparing the questionnaire, the agency shall consult with the construction industry, including representatives of the building trades and surety industry. This questionnaire shall require information including, but not limited to, all of the
following:
(i) If the design-build entity is a partnership, limited partnership, or other association, a listing of all of the partners, general partners, or association members known at the time of bid submission who will participate in the design-build contract, including, but not limited to, mechanical subcontractors.
(ii) Evidence that the members of the design-build entity have completed, or demonstrated the experience, competency, capability, and capacity to complete, projects of similar size, scope, or complexity, and that proposed key personnel have sufficient experience and training to competently manage and complete the design and construction of the project, as well as a financial statement that assures the agency that the design-build entity has the capacity to complete the project.
(iii) The licenses, registration, and credentials required to design and construct the project, including information on the
revocation or suspension of any license, credential, or registration.
(iv) Evidence that establishes that the design-build entity has the capacity to obtain all required payment and performance bonding, liability insurance, and errors and omissions insurance.
(v) Any prior serious or willful violation of the California Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1973, contained in Part 1 (commencing with Section 6300) of Division 5 of the Labor Code, or the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (P.L. 91-596), settled against any member of the design-build entity, and information concerning workers’ compensation experience history and worker safety program.
(vi) Information concerning any debarment, disqualification, or removal from a federal, state, or local government public works project. Any instance in which an entity, its owners, officers, or managing employees submitted a bid on a public works project and were
found to be nonresponsive, or were found by an awarding body not to be a responsible bidder.
(vii) Any instance in which the entity, or its owners, officers, or managing employees, defaulted on a construction contract.
(viii) Any violations of the Contractors’ State License Law (Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 7000) of Division 3 of the Business and Professions Code), including alleged violations of federal or state law including the payment of wages, benefits, apprenticeship requirements, or personal income tax withholding, or of Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) withholding requirements settled against any member of the design-build entity.
(ix) Information concerning the bankruptcy or receivership of any member of the design-build entity, including information concerning any work completed by a surety.
(x) Information concerning all settled adverse claims, disputes, or lawsuits
between the owner of a public works project and any member of the design-build entity during the five years preceding submission of a bid pursuant to this section, in which the claim, settlement, or judgment exceeds fifty thousand dollars ($50,000). Information shall also be provided concerning any work completed by a surety during this period.
(xi) In the case of a partnership, joint venture, or an association that is not a legal entity, a copy of the agreement creating the partnership or association and specifying that all general partners, joint venturers, or association members agree to be fully liable for the performance under the design-build contract.
(B) The information required pursuant to this subdivision shall be verified under oath by the entity and its members in the manner in which civil pleadings in civil actions are verified. Information that is not a public record pursuant to the California Public Records Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing
with Section 6250) of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code) shall not be open to public inspection.
(4) The agency shall establish a procedure for final selection of the design-build entity. Selection shall be based on either of the following criteria:
(A) A competitive bidding process resulting in lump-sum bids by the prequalified design-build entities. Awards shall be made to the lowest responsible bidder.
(B) An agency may use a design-build competition based upon best value and other criteria set forth in paragraph (2). The design-build competition shall include the following elements:
(i) Competitive proposals shall be evaluated by using only the criteria and selection procedures specifically identified in the request for proposal. However, the following minimum factors shall each represent at least 10 percent of the total weight of consideration given to all criteria factors: price,
technical design and construction expertise, life-cycle costs over 15 years or more, skilled labor force availability, and acceptable safety record.
(ii) Once the evaluation is complete, the top three responsive bidders shall be ranked sequentially from the most advantageous to the least.
(iii) The award of the contract shall be made to the responsible bidder whose proposal is determined, in writing, to be the most advantageous.
(iv) Notwithstanding any provision of this code, upon issuance of a contract award, the agency shall publicly announce its award, identifying the contractor to whom the award is made, along with a written decision supporting its contract award and stating the basis of the award. The notice of award shall also include the agency’s second- and third-ranked design-build entities.
(v) For purposes of this paragraph, skilled labor force availability shall be determined by the
existence of an agreement with a registered apprenticeship program, approved by the California Apprenticeship Council, which has graduated apprentices in each of the preceding five years. This graduation requirement shall not apply to programs providing apprenticeship training for any craft that has been deemed by the Department of Labor and the Department of Industrial Relations to be an apprenticeable craft in the five years prior to enactment of this act.
(vi) For purposes of this paragraph, a bidder’s safety record shall be deemed acceptable if its experience modification rate for the most recent three-year period is an average of 1.00 or less, and its average total recordable injury/illness rate and average lost work rate for the most recent three-year period does not exceed the applicable statistical standards for its business category or if the bidder is a party to an alternative dispute resolution system as provided for in Section 3201.5 of the Labor Code.
(e) (1) Any design-build entity that is selected to design and build a project pursuant to this section shall possess or obtain sufficient bonding to cover the contract amount for nondesign services, and errors and omission insurance coverage sufficient to cover all design and architectural services provided in the contract. This section does not prohibit a general or engineering contractor from being designated the lead entity on a design-build entity for the purposes of purchasing necessary bonding to cover the activities of the design-build entity.
(2) Any payment or performance bond written for the purposes of this section shall be written using a bond form developed by the agency.
(f) All subcontractors that were not listed by the design-build entity in accordance with clause (i) of subparagraph (A) of paragraph (3) of subdivision (d) shall be awarded by the design-build entity in accordance with the design-build
process set forth by the agency in the design-build package. All subcontractors bidding on contracts pursuant to this section shall be afforded the protections contained in Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 4100) of Part 1. The design-build entity shall do both of the following:
(1) Provide public notice of the availability of work to be subcontracted in accordance with the publication requirements applicable to the competitive bidding process of the agency.
(2) Provide a fixed date and time on which the subcontracted work will be awarded in accordance with the procedure established pursuant to this section.
(g) The minimum performance criteria and design standards established pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (d) shall be adhered to by the design-build entity. Any deviations from those standards may only be allowed by written consent of the agency.
(h) The agency may retain the services of
a design professional or construction project manager, or both, throughout the course of the project in order to ensure compliance with this section.
(i) Contracts awarded pursuant to this section shall be valid until the project is completed.
(j) Nothing in this section is intended to affect, expand, alter, or limit any rights or remedies otherwise available at law.
(k) (1) If the agency elects to award a project pursuant to this section, retention proceeds withheld by the agency from the design-build entity shall not exceed 5 percent if a performance and payment bond, issued by an admitted surety insurer, is required in the solicitation of bids.
(2) In a contract between the design-build entity and the subcontractor, and in a contract between a subcontractor and any subcontractor thereunder, the percentage of the retention proceeds withheld shall not exceed the percentage
specified in the contract between the agency and the design-build entity. If the design-build entity provides written notice to any subcontractor who is not a member of the design-build entity, prior to or at the time the bid is requested, that a bond may be required and the subcontractor subsequently is unable or refuses to furnish a bond to the design-build entity, then the design-build entity may withhold retention proceeds in excess of the percentage specified in the contract between the agency and the design-build entity from any payment made by the design-build entity to the subcontractor.
(l) Each agency that elects to proceed under this section and uses the design-build method on a public works project shall submit to the Legislative Analyst’s Office before December 1, 2014, a report containing a description of each public works project procured through the design-build process after January 1, 2010, and before November 1, 2014. The report shall include, but shall not be
limited to, all of the following information:
(1) The type of project.
(2) The gross square footage of the project.
(3) The design-build entity that was awarded the project.
(4) Where appropriate, the estimated and actual length of time to complete the project.
(5) The estimated and actual project costs.
(6) A description of any written protests concerning any aspect of the solicitation, bid, proposal, or award of the design-build project, including the resolution of the protests.
(7) An assessment of the prequalification process and criteria.
(8) An assessment of the effect of retaining 5-percent retention on the project.
(9) A description of the labor force compliance program and an assessment of the project impact, where required.
(10) A description of the method used to award the contract. If best value was the method, the report shall describe the factors used to evaluate the bid, including the weighting of each factor and an assessment of the effectiveness of the methodology.
(11) An assessment of the project impact of skilled labor force availability.
(12) An assessment of the design-build dollar limits on agency projects. This assessment shall include projects where the agency wanted to use design-build and was precluded by the dollar limitation. This assessment shall also include projects where the best value method was not used due to dollar limitations.
(13) An assessment of the most appropriate uses for the design-build approach.
(m) (1) In order to comply with paragraph (2) of subdivision (a), the State Public Works Board is required to maintain the list of agencies that have
applied and are eligible to be qualified for this authority.
(2) Each agency that is interested in proceeding under the authority in this section must apply to the State Public Works Board. The application to proceed shall be in writing and contain such information that the State Public Works Board may require.
(3) The State Public Works Board shall approve or deny an application, in writing, within 90 days of the submission of a complete application. The authority to deny an application shall only be exercised if the condition set forth in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) has been satisfied.
(4) An agency that has applied for this authorization shall, after it determines it no longer is interested in using this authority, notify the State Public Works Board in writing within 30 days of its determination. Upon notification, the State Public Works Board may contact any previous applicants, denied pursuant to paragraph (2) of
subdivision (a), to inform them of the availability to proceed under this section.
(5) The State Public Works Board may authorize no more that 10 projects. The board shall not authorize or approve more than two projects for any one eligible redevelopment agency that submits a completed application.
(6) The State Public Works Board shall notify the Legislative Analyst’s Office when 10 projects have been approved.
(n) On or before January 1, 2015, the Legislative Analyst shall report to the Legislature on the use of the design-build method by agencies pursuant to this section, including the information listed in subdivision (l). The report may include recommendations for modifying or extending this section.
(o) Except as provided in this section, nothing in this act shall be construed to affect the application of any other law.
(p) This section shall remain
in effect only until January 1, 2016, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2016, deletes or extends that date.