Task Force Convened to Address Implementation of Bidder Responsibility Criteria

A task force met on July 22, 2009 to begin planning for a collaborative conversation this fall between public owners and contractors on how the State of Washington's bidder responsibility law is being implemented.

The law, RCW 39.04.350, went into effect in July 2007. Since that time, many public owners have developed supplemental bidder responsibility criteria for public works projects that contractors have complained are too restrictive of the bidding pool.

The focus of the planned conversation will be for both contractors and owners to understand the interests and objectives of one another with respect to use of bidder responsibility criteria as part of contract award for public works construction projects.

I attended the planning session representing the University of Washington, along with representatives from the City of Seattle, the American Public Works Association, the Utility Contractors Association of Washington, the Association of Washington Cities, and the Municipal Research and Services Center (MRSC).

The Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Washington published an article on their website on July 21, 2009 about how bidder responsibility is being implemented. I was interviewed for the article and am quoted in it.