BUSINESS AND OPERATIONS: CONSTRUCTION USING                             [LAW]

JOB ORDER CONTRACTS

 

 

The following provisions apply only to a charter holder that has amended its charter to adopt Tex. Educ. Code Chapter 44.

 

1.         Use of Job Order Contracts

 

The school may award a contract for the minor construction, repair, rehabilitation, or alteration of a facility if the work is of a recurring nature but the delivery times are indefinite and indefinite quantities and orders are awarded substantially on the basis of pre-described and pre-priced tasks using a job order contract.

 

Tex. Educ. Code §§ 44.031(a)(8), 44.041(a); 19 Tex. Admin. Code § 100.103.

 

2.         Notice of Bids and Selection Criteria

 

A.        Notice of the time by when and place where the bids will be received and opened shall be published in the county in which the school’s central administrative office is located, once a week for at least two (2) weeks before the deadline for receiving bids.  If there is not a newspaper in that county, the advertising shall be published in a newspaper in the county nearest the county seat of the county in which the school’s central administrative office is located.  In a two-step procurement process, the time and place where the second-step bids will be received are not required to be published separately.

 

Tex. Educ. Code § 44.031(g).

 

B.         In the published request for bids the school will identify the criteria that will be used to evaluate the offerors and the relative weights given to the criteria.

 

Tex. Educ. Code § 44.035(b).

 

3.         Unit Prices Allowed

 

The school may establish contractual unit prices for a job order contract by:

 

A.        Specifying one or more published construction unit price books, and the applicable divisions or line items; or

 

B.         Providing a list of work items and requiring the offerors to bid or propose one or more coefficients or multipliers to be applied to the price book or work items as the price proposal.

 

Tex. Educ. Code § 44.041(b).

 

4.         Opening of Proposals; Award

 

A.        The school shall advertise for, receive, and publicly open sealed proposals for job order contracts.

 

B.         The school may require offerors to submit additional information besides rates, including experience, past performance, and proposed personnel and methodology.

 

C.        The school may award job order contracts to one or more job order contractors in connection with each solicitation of bids or proposals.

 

Tex. Educ. Code § 44.041(c)-(e).

 

5.         Orders

 

An order for a job or project under the job order contract must be signed by the school’s representative and the contractor.  The order may be a fixed price, lump-sum contract based substantially on contractual unit pricing applied to estimated quantities or may be a unit price order based on the quantities and line items delivered.

 

Tex. Educ. Code § 44.041(f).

 

6.         Bonds

 

The contractor shall provide payment and performance bonds, if required by law, based on the amount or estimate amount of any order.

 

Tex. Educ. Code § 44.041(g).

 

7.         Contract

 

A.        Base Term

 

The base term of a job order contract is for the period and with any renewal option that the school sets forth in the request for proposals.  If the school fails to advertise that term, the base term may not exceed two (2) years and is not renewable without further advertisement and solicitation of proposals.

 

B.         Contract Requiring Engineering or Architectural Services

 

If a job order contract or an order issued under the contract requires engineering or architectural services that constitute the practice of engineering within the meaning of the Vernon’s Texas Civil Statutes 3271a (Texas Engineering Practice Act) or the practice of architecture within the meaning of Vernon’s Texas Civil Statutes Article 249a, those services shall be provided in accordance with applicable law.

 

Tex. Educ. Code § 44.041(h)-(i).

 

8.         Making Evaluations Public

 

The school shall document the basis of its selection and shall make the evaluations public not later than the seventh day after the date the contract is awarded.

 

Tex. Educ. Code § 44.035(c).