(a) Any single purchase or contract under the jurisdiction of the County Purchasing Agent and involving an expenditure of more than Three Thousand Dollars ($3,000), except for purchases for which the County Council has set a higher minimum requirement under Section 911 of this Article, emergency purchases, and those involving material and equipment of a non-competitive nature, as may be defined and governed by the regulations adopted under Section 902(f) of this Article, shall be made from or let by sealed bids or proposals. The sealed bids and proposals shall be publicly opened after public notice for the period and in the manner that the Purchasing Agent or the Purchasing Agent’s authorized deputy determines, however, a purchase or contract may not be made under this section for at least one week after the public opening of bids. The purchases and contracts shall be made from or awarded to the lowest responsible bidder who shall give security or bond for the performance of their contract as determined by the Purchasing Agent or the Purchasing Agent’s deputy. In all cases, the County shall reserve the right to reject any and all bids.
(b) All construction, maintenance and repair work shall be subject to the requirements of competitive bidding provided in this section, unless the work is to be done directly by the County through the use of its own laboring force. All materials and supplies used by the County laboring force shall be purchased in accordance with the provisions of this Article.
(c) The County may not sell real property that it owns unless the property is first declared surplus by the County Executive. The County Council shall enact furthering legislation to implement the procedure for the disposition of said surplus property.
(d) No sale, contract, or purchase shall be subdivided to avoid the requirements of this section.
(Bill No. 73-82; Res. No. 30-22)