ESSB 6235 Passes Senate

Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 6235 passed the Senate on February 19th with a vote of 33 yeas, 15 nays, 1 absent. In the House, it has been referred to the State Government and Tribal Affairs Committee, where, hopefully, it will not see the light of day.

As I've written before, this legislation is in response to the audit conducted by the State Auditor's Office of the Port of Seattle. If approved, it would prohibit government agencies from using cost as a selection criterion in selecting consultants for project management, construction management, and construction supervision related to a public works project. This is not in the public's best interest as no competitive prices are received. Agencies would be required to select the most qualified consultants and then negotiate a price, rather than having a competitive price submitted as part of the selection process. It is not an appropriate means to address concerns about the Port of Seattle's selection of consultants.