(A) Informal bidding on public projects and maintenance. The city may let any "public project" or "maintenance work," as those terms are defined by the Uniform Public Construction Cost Accounting Act codified at Cal. Pub. Cont. Code §§ 22000 et seq., to contract in accord with informal bidding procedures provided that the project or work has an aggregate cost estimate of $125,000 or less. Further, upon a 4/5 vote of the City Council determining that a city cost estimate was reasonable, the city may award a contract in an instance when all informal bids gathered by the city exceed $125,000 but there exists a lowest responsible bidder with a bid of $137,500 or less. To the extent that the State Controller may modify the monetary limits prescribed by the Uniform Public Construction Cost Accounting Act for informal bidding, such modifications shall supersede the limits specified herein.
(B) Contractors list. Each City Department shall develop and maintain a list of qualified contractors, identified according to categories of work, who may informally bid public projects and maintenance work. Criteria for the city's development and maintenance of this list shall be in accord with all applicable determinations by the California Uniform Construction Cost Accounting Commission. The city may also include on its list any contractor who submitted a valid informal bid as to one or more public project or instance of maintenance work during the preceding year, per an exercise of discretion by the Public Works Director or his/her designee.
(C) Updating the contractors list. City Department shall mail written notice to construction journals inviting licensed contractors to submit qualifications that may support their inclusion by the city on the list of qualified contractors that will be authorized to informally bid public projects and maintenance work for the following year.
(D) Notices to contractors re individual public projects and maintenance work. Not less than ten calendar days before date when informal bids are due, the city shall mail all contractors on its list for the category of work being bid, together with all construction trade journals identified for receipt of notices by the California Uniform Construction Cost Accounting Commission, a written notice inviting informal bids. Beyond this standard notice to be issued, within the discretion of the City Department soliciting informal bids, additional contractors and/or construction trade journals may be issued notice. The notice requirement of this provision shall apply to each public project or instance of maintenance work let to informal bid unless a product or service is proprietary. If the product of service is proprietary in nature such that it can be obtained only from a certain contractor or contractors, the notice inviting informal bids may be sent exclusively to such contractor or contractors. Finally, if within the reasonable discretion of the City Manager or his/her designee, no list of qualified contractors maintained by the city for the particular category of work to be performed exists, the notice inviting informal bids shall be sent only to construction trade journals identified for receipt of notices by the California Uniform Construction Cost Accounting Commission.
(E) Content of notices. The notice shall describe the public project or maintenance work in general terms, and state how an interested contractor may obtain more detailed information. The notice shall also state the time and place for the submission of bids, indicate the city's license requirements, and provide a city contact name and mailing address.
(F) Award of informal contracts. The City Council hereby delegates the authority to award informal contracts to the City Manager or his/her designee.
(Ord. 1555, passed 4-1-09)