2012 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 4b - State Real Property
Chapter 60 - Construction and Alterations of State Buildings
Section 4b-51 - (Formerly Sec. 4-131). Alterations, repairs or additions to real assets. Selection of consultants for certain projects.

(a) The Commissioner of Construction Services shall have charge and supervision of the remodeling, alteration, repair or enlargement of any real asset, except any dam, flood or erosion control system, highway, bridge or any mass transit, marine or aviation transportation facility, a facility of the Connecticut Marketing Authority, an asset of the Department of Agriculture program established pursuant to section 26-237a, or any building under the supervision and control of the Joint Committee on Legislative Management, involving an expenditure in excess of five hundred thousand dollars, and except that (1) the Judicial Branch may have charge and supervision of the remodeling, alteration, repair, construction or enlargement of any real asset involving an expenditure of not more than one million two hundred fifty thousand dollars, (2) each constituent unit of the state system of higher education may have charge and supervision of the remodeling, alteration, repair, construction or enlargement of any real asset involving an expenditure of not more than two million dollars, and (3) The University of Connecticut shall have charge and supervision of the remodeling, alteration, repair, construction, or enlargement of any project, as defined in subdivision (16) of section 10a-109c, notwithstanding the amount of the expenditure involved. In any decision to remodel, alter, repair or enlarge any real asset, the commissioner shall consider the capability of the real asset to facilitate recycling programs.

(b) No officer, department, institution, board, commission or council of the state government, except the Commissioner of Construction Services, the Commissioner of Transportation, the Connecticut Marketing Authority, the Department of Agriculture for purposes of the program established pursuant to section 26-237a, the Joint Committee on Legislative Management, the Judicial Branch or a constituent unit of the state system of higher education as authorized in subsection (a) of this section, shall, unless otherwise specifically authorized by law, make or contract for the making of any alteration, repair or addition to any real asset involving an expenditure of more than five hundred thousand dollars.

(c) The plans necessary for any such remodeling, alteration, repair or enlargement of any state humane institution, as defined in section 17b-222, shall be subject to the approval of the administrative head of such humane institution.

(d) Notwithstanding any provision of the general statutes, the Commissioner of Construction Services may select consultants to be on a list established for the purpose of providing any consultant services. Such list shall be established as provided in sections 4b-56 and 4b-57. The commissioner may enter into a contract with any consultant on such list to perform a range of consultant services or to perform a range of tasks pursuant to a task letter detailing services to be performed under such contract. As used in this subsection, “consultant” means “consultant” as defined in section 4b-55, and “consultant services” means “consultant services” as defined in section 4b-55.

(e) Costs for projects authorized under subsection (b) of this section shall be charged to the bond fund account for the project for which such costs are incurred. The Department of Construction Services shall develop procedures for expediting the administration of projects for alterations, repairs or additions authorized under said subsection (b).

(f) Any state agency proposing to remodel, alter or enlarge any real asset shall submit a statement to the commissioner demonstrating the capability of the real asset to facilitate recycling programs.

(1949 Rev., S. 203; March, 1950, S. 1899d; 1957, P.A. 150, S. 2; 457, S. 2; P.A. 73-488; P.A. 75-326; 75-365, S. 1; P.A. 77-614, S. 73, 610; P.A. 81-421, S. 2, 9; P.A. 82-114, S. 1, 2; 82-369, S. 17, 28; 82-438, S. 3, 6; P.A. 83-487, S. 23, 33; P.A. 84-48, S. 9, 17; P.A. 85-567, S. 1, 6; P.A. 87-496, S. 32, 110; 87-529, S. 1; P.A. 88-117, S. 3, 5; 88-231, S. 3; 88-291, S. 3, 6; P.A. 91-200, S. 2, 3; 91-230, S. 8, 17; P.A. 93-201, S. 4, 24; P.A. 95-230, S. 35, 45; P.A. 97-293, S. 19, 26; P.A. 98-235, S. 5; P.A. 99-75, S. 4; P.A. 01-172, S. 3; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 146(f); P.A. 04-189, S. 1; P.A. 07-213, S. 17; Sept. Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-7, S. 67; P.A. 11-51, S. 90.)

History: P.A. 73-488 gave commissioner of transportation power to make or contract for real estate expenditures; P.A. 75-326 gave heads of humane institutions authority to approve or disapprove plans for changes to institutions under their control; P.A. 75-365 raised expenditures amount to $50,000, and required public works commissioner’s approval of all contracts; P.A. 77-614 replaced public works commissioner with commissioner of administrative services; P.A. 81-421 excluded the supervision of the alteration of mass transit, marine or aviation transportation facilities from the duties of the commissioner; P.A. 82-114 increased amount from $50,000 to $100,000; P.A. 82-369 also increased the amount of expenditure involved from $50,000 or more to $100,000 or more and added provision that amount of expenditure involved in such an alteration, repair or addition made or contracted for by any such officer, department, institution, board, commission or council, may, with prior approval of said commissioner, exceed $100,000 up to a maximum of $250,000; P.A. 82-438 amended section to provide that commissioner of administrative services does not have charge and supervision of remodeling, alteration, repair or enlargement of state capitol building and to authorize legislative management committee to make or contract for alterations, repairs or additions to the capitol; P.A. 83-487 added exception for Connecticut marketing authority and its facilities; P.A. 84-48 excepted any building under the supervision and control of the joint committee on legislative management, where previously exception was for state capitol building; P.A. 85-567 divided section into Subsecs., amended Subsec. (a) to permit departments and institutions to have charge and supervision over and to contract for alterations, repairs and additions involving expenditures of up to $250,000, where previously the limit was $100,000 and added a Subsec. (d) re selection of architects and engineers, maximum fees for technical services and expedited project administration; P.A. 87-496 replaced commissioner and department of administrative services with commissioner and department of public works; P.A. 87-529 amended Subsecs. (a) and (b) to provide that each constituent unit of the state system of higher education have charge and supervision of the remodeling, alteration, repair or enlargement of any real asset involving an expenditure of not more than $500,000; P.A. 88-117 added an exception to the fee limit in Subsec. (d) for projects of constituent units and made a technical change in Subsec. (e); P.A. 88-231 amended Subsec. (a) by requiring commissioner to consider capabilities of real assets to facilitate recycling programs and added Subsec. (e) requiring statements by agencies proposing to remodel, alter or enlarge real assets demonstrating the capability of such real assets to facilitate recycling; P.A. 88-291 amended Subsecs. (a) and (b) by adding the exception for the department of agriculture program established pursuant to Sec. 26-237a; Sec. 4-131 transferred to Sec. 4b-51 in 1989; P.A. 91-200 amended Subsec. (a) to exclude from commissioner’s authority the control of any “dam, flood or erosion control system”; P.A. 91-230 in Subsec. (a) added “construction” and changed $500,000 to $1,000,000 in the exception concerning the constituent units of the state system of higher education and in Subsec. (d) changed $50,000 to $150,000; P.A. 93-201 amended Subsec. (a) to increase the expenditure limit for a constituent unit from $1,000,000 to $2,000,000 and amended Subsec. (d) to increase the fee limit for projects of a constituent unit from $150,000 to $300,000, effective July 1, 1993; P.A. 95-230 amended Subsec. (a) to add exception for The University of Connecticut, effective June 7, 1995; P.A. 97-293 made a technical change in Subsec. (a), effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 98-235 amended Subsec. (d) by substituting “consultants” for “architects and engineers”, “consultant services” for “architectural and engineering technical services” and $50,000 for $25,000 and adding the definitions of “consultant” and “consultant services”; P.A. 99-75 substituted $500,000 for $250,000 in Subsecs. (a) and (b); P.A. 01-172 amended Subsec. (d) to designate existing provisions as Subdiv. (1), making a technical change therein, and add Subdiv. (2) re applications and advertisements for consultants; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 replaced Department of Agriculture with Department of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 04-189 repealed Sec. 146 of June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, thereby reversing the merger of the Departments of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective June 1, 2004; P.A. 07-213 amended Subsec. (d) to authorize commissioner to select consultants in accordance with Secs. 4b-56 and 4b-57 and enter into a contract with any such consultant to perform a range of consultant services or tasks, make technical changes and delete former Subdiv. (2) re application process for inclusion on consultant list, effective July 1, 2007; Sept. Sp. Sess. P.A. 09-7 amended Subsec. (a) to add Subdiv. (1) re Judicial Branch supervision and insert Subdiv. designators (2) and (3) and amended Subsec. (b) to insert reference to Judicial Branch, effective October 5, 2009; pursuant to P.A. 11-51, “Commissioner of Public Works” and “Department of Public Works” were changed editorially by the Revisors to “Commissioner of Construction Services” and “Department of Construction Services”, respectively, effective July 1, 2011.

See Sec. 4a-60 re nondiscrimination clauses required in contracts.

See Sec. 4b-101 re information on contractors and subcontractors to be provided to Commissioner of Revenue Services.

See Sec. 13b-4 re certain transportation capital projects.

See chapter 557, part III re state contracts generally.

Under former statute, “real assets” do not include highways and bridges. 124 C. 33. Cited. 140 C. 124; 190 C. 212.