Senate Committee on Transportation (03/17/2015)

Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

SENATE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION

Date:	03/17/2015	ATTENDANCE

Time:	02:00 PM to 02:16 PM	Cooke	E
		Garcia	X
Place:	SCR 352	Todd	X
		Scott	X
This Meeting was called to order by		Baumgardner	X
	Senator Baumgardner

This Report was prepared by
	Mistia Zuckerman
		X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call

Bills Addressed:		Action Taken:
HB15-1046		Referred to the Committee of the Whole - Consent Calendar

02:01 PM -- HB 15-1046

Senator Baumgardner, Chair, called the meeting to order. A quorum was present.

02:02 PM

Senator Scott, prime sponsor, introduced House Bill 15-1046. Under current law, if there are fewer than three bidders for a highway project contract, the contract may only be awarded if it is no more than 10 percent over the Colorado Department of Transportation's (CDOT) project cost estimate. In instances where the contract is less than $1.0 million, the contract may only be awarded if it is no more than 25 percent over CDOT's project cost estimate. The reengrossed bill allows the executive director of CDOT to award a design bid build highway project contract where there are fewer than three bidders to the low responsible bidder regardless of CDOT's project cost estimate if the executive director determines in writing that doing so is in the financial, economic, or other interest of the state. The executive director's written determination must be included in the contract file and made publicly available by posting on CDOT's website. The executive director must also identify each project for which an award has been made pursuant to this bill in CDOT's annual SMART Government Act presentation to the Joint Transportation Committee of the General Assembly. The bill is repealed on July 1, 2018.

Senator Scott said that the current law negatively impacts smaller communities and rural parts of the state because larger contractors are not bidding on projects in these areas and they often do not get three bids, which the current requirement for a highway project to move forward. He answered questions from the committee regarding current practices when projects do not get enough bids.

02:05 PM -- Andy Karsian, representing CDOT, came to the table to answer questions from the committee. He said that if CDOT does not get three bids, it has to readvertise the project, and depending on the time of year, going through the administrative process can take an additional one to three months.

02:08 PM -- Michelle Berger, representing the Colorado Contractors Association, testified in support of the bill. She said that the bill provides a means to allow CDOT to efficiently and effectively fulfill their mandate for a strong infrastructure in Colorado. She discussed the economic conditions that have led to a shortage of contractors for a growing number of projects.

02:10 PM -- Scott McDaniel, representing CDOT, testified in support of the bill. He mentioned his role as Director of Project Support for CDOT, and said that HB 15-1046 would allow CDOT to make informed decisions in the bidding process.

02:12 PM

The committee took a brief recess.

02:13 PM

The committee came back to order. Senator Scott gave his closing comments on the bill.


BILL:	HB15-1046
TIME:	02:14:30 PM
MOVED:	Scott
MOTION:	Refer House Bill 15-1046 to the Committee of the Whole with a recommendation that it be placed on the consent calendar. The motion passed on a vote of 4-0, with one excused.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Cooke	Excused
	Garcia	Yes
	Todd	Yes
	Scott	Yes
	Baumgardner	Yes
Final YES: 4 NO: 0 EXC: 1 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

02:16 PM

The committee adjourned.