Pursuant to three separate bills, the state legislature expanded existing statutory authority to award construction contracts on a design-build basis to apply to more cities and counties as of January 1, 2006. In each case, the duration of the statutory design-build authority was extended to the year 2011, and the dollar threshold was lowered to $2.5 million per project for counties. Following is a short summary of the bills:
· AB 1329 (Wolk): This bill added section 20175 to the Public Contract Code, and authorizes cities in the counties of Solano and Yolo to award construction contracts on a design-build basis. The authority only applies to buildings and directly related improvements, and does not apply to streets, highways, public rail transit, or water resources facilities and infrastructure. The statute has a sunset provision for the year 2011.
· AB 1511 (Evans): This bill amended section 20133 of the Public Contract Code to authorize the following counties to award construction projects on a design-build basis: Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Los Angeles, Mendocino, Napa, Santa Clara, Solano, Sonoma and Yolo Counties. The dollar threshold was lowered from $5 million to $2.5 million, and the authority is limited to buildings or directly related improvements. The statute has a sunset provision for the year 2011.
· SB 287 (Cox): This bill also amended section 20133 of the Public Contract Code to authorize the following additional counties to award construction projects on a design-build basis: Butte, El Dorado, Fresno, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Monterey, Orange, Placer, San Diego, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, Shasta, Siskiyou, Stanislaus, and Yuba Counties.