Bill > SB2334

This bill allows local governments in Tennessee that meet certain financial thresholds (having general governmental revenues of at least $150 million for counties/metropolitan governments or $125 million for municipalities, or receiving approval from the comptroller) and have a full-time purchasing agent to use various construction project delivery methods beyond the traditional design-bid-build approach, such as construction manager at-risk or design-build, for qualified local projects costing over $5 million. A "project delivery method" refers to how a construction project is contracted and managed, with "construction manager at-risk" involving a construction manager acting as a general contractor who guarantees a maximum price, and "design-build" combining design and construction services under a single contract. To utilize these methods, local governments must implement a "competitive proposal process," which requires publicly disclosing evaluation criteria and their weighting (with qualifications and experience being at least 50% and pricing at least 20%), revealing selection committee members and their conflicts of interest, publishing selection results and scores, providing a mechanism for protests, and making all procurement documents public records. This new authority is supplemental to existing procurement laws.