A. Subject to the express provisions of the management agreement described in § 23-38.88, covered institutions may be exempt from the provisions of the Virginia Public Procurement Act (§ 2.2-4300 et seq.), except for § 2.2-4342 (which section shall not be construed to require compliance with the prequalification application procedures of subsection B of § 2.2-4317), provided, however, that any deviations from the Virginia Public Procurement Act approved in a Management Agreement shall be uniform across all covered institutions; and provided further that the governing body of a covered institution shall adopt, and the covered institution shall comply with, policies for the procurement of goods and services, including professional services, that shall be based upon competitive principles and shall in each instance seek competition to the maximum practical degree. The policies shall implement a system of competitive negotiation for professional services pursuant to § 2.2-4303.1 and subsections A, B, and C of § 2.2-4302.2; shall prohibit discrimination because of race, religion, color, sex or national origin of the bidder or offeror in the solicitation or award of contracts; shall incorporate the prompt payment principles of §§ 2.2-4350 and 2.2-4354; and shall consider the impact on correctional enterprises under § 53.1-47.
B. Such policies may, among other things, (i) provide for consideration of the dollar amount of the intended procurement, the term of the anticipated contract, and the likely extent of competition; (ii) implement a prequalification procedure for contractors or products; and (iii) include provisions for cooperative arrangements with other covered institutions, other public or private educational institutions, other public or private organizations or entities, including public-private partnerships, public bodies, charitable organizations, health care provider alliances or purchasing organizations or entities, state agencies or institutions of the Commonwealth or the several states, the District of Columbia, the territories and the United States, and any combination thereof. Nothing in this section shall preclude a covered institution from requesting and utilizing, and covered institutions are hereby encouraged to utilize, the assistance of the Virginia Information Technologies Agency in information technology procurements.
C. In the solicitation and awarding of contracts, no covered institution shall discriminate against a bidder or offeror because of race, religion, color, sex, national origin, age, disability, or any other basis prohibited by state or federal law. The procurement policies of a covered institution shall provide that, whenever solicitations are made seeking competitive procurement of goods or services, it shall be a priority of the institution to provide for fair and reasonable consideration of small, women-owned, and minority-owned businesses and to promote and encourage a diversity of suppliers. The institution shall post on the Department of General Services’ central electronic procurement website all Invitations to Bid, Requests for Proposal, sole source award notices, and emergency award notices to ensure visibility and access to the Commonwealth’s procurement opportunities on one website.
D. As part of any procurement provisions of a management agreement, the governing board of a covered institution shall identify the public, educational, and operational interests served by any procurement rule or rules that deviate from those in the Virginia Public Procurement Act.
History
2005, cc. 933, 945; 2011, c. 332; 2013, c. 583; 2015, cc. 760, 776.
