2022 South Carolina Code of Laws
Title 11 - Public Finance
Chapter 35 - South Carolina Consolidated Procurement Code
Section 11-35-3020. Additional bidding procedures for construction procurement.

Exceptions in Competitive Sealed Bidding Procedures. The process of competitive sealed bidding as required by Section 11-35-3015(2)(b) must be performed in accordance with the procedures outlined in Article 5 of this code subject to the following exceptions:

(a) Invitation for Bids. Each governmental body is responsible for developing a formal invitation for bids for each state construction project. The invitation must include, but not be limited to, all contractual terms and conditions applicable to the procurement. A copy of each invitation for bids must be filed with the State Engineer's Office and must be advertised formally in an official state government publication. Adequate notice of the invitation for bids must be given at a reasonable time before the date set forth in it for the opening of bids. The manner in which this official state government publication must be published, the content of the publication itself, the frequency of the publication, the method of subscription to the publication, and the manner by which the publication is distributed must be established by regulation of the board.

(b) Bid Acceptance. Instead of Section 11-35-1520(6), the following provision applies. Bids must be accepted unconditionally without alteration or correction, except as otherwise authorized in this code. The governmental body's invitation for bids must set forth all requirements of the bid including, but not limited to:

(i) The governmental body, in consultation with the architect-engineer assigned to the project, shall identify by license classification or subclassification in the invitation for bids all subcontractors who are expected to perform work for the prime contractor to or about the construction when those subcontractors' contracts are each expected to exceed three percent of the prime contractor's total base bid. In addition, the governmental body, in consultation with the architect-engineer assigned to the project, may identify by license classification or subclassification in the invitation for bids a subcontractor who is expected to perform work which is vital to the project. The determination of which subcontractors are included in the list provided in the invitation for bids is not protestable pursuant to Section 11-35-4210 or another provision of this code. A bidder in response to an invitation for bids shall clearly identify in his bid only those subcontractors to perform the work as identified in the invitation for bids. If the bidder determines to use his own employees to perform a portion of the work for which he would otherwise be required to list a subcontractor and if the bidder is qualified to perform that work under the terms of the invitation for bids, the bidder shall list himself in the appropriate place in his bid and not subcontract that work except with the approval of the governmental body for good cause shown.

(ii) Failure to complete the list provided in the invitation for bids renders the bidder's bid unresponsive.

(iii) The governmental body shall send all responsive bidders a copy of the bid tabulation within ten working days following the bid opening.

(c) Instead of Section 11-35-1520(10), the following provisions apply:

(i) Unless there is a compelling reason to reject bids as prescribed by regulation of the board, notice of an intended award of a contract to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder whose bid meets the requirements set forth in the invitation for bids must be given by posting the notice at a location that is specified in the invitation for bids. The invitation for bids and the posted notice must contain a statement of the bidder's right to protest pursuant to Section 11-35-4210(1) and the date and location of posting must be announced at bid opening. In addition to posting notice, the governmental body promptly shall send all responsive bidders a copy of the notice of intended award and of the bid tabulation. The mailed notice must indicate the posting date and must contain a statement of the bidder's right to protest pursuant to Section 11-35-4210(1).

(ii) After five business days' notice is given, the governmental body may enter into a contract with the bidder named in the notice in accordance with the provisions of this code and of the bid solicited. The procurement officer must comply with Section 11-35-1810.

(iii) If, at bid opening, only one bid is received and determined to be responsive and responsible and within the governmental body's construction budget, award may be made without the five-day waiting period.

(d) Negotiations after Unsuccessful Competitive Sealed Bidding. Instead of Section 11-35-1540, the following provisions apply:

(i) If bids received pursuant to an invitation for bids exceed available funds, and it is determined in writing by the governmental body that circumstances do not permit the delay required to resolicit competitive sealed bids, and the base bid, less deductive alternates, does not exceed available funds by an amount greater than ten percent of the construction budget established for that portion of the work, a contract may be negotiated pursuant to this section with the lowest responsible and responsive bidder. The governmental body may change the scope of the work to reduce the price to be within the established construction budget but may not reduce the price below the established construction budget more than ten percent without a written request by the agency and the written approval of the chief procurement officer based on the interest of the State.

(ii) If the lowest base bid received pursuant to an invitation for bids exceeds approved available funds and the governmental body is able to identify additional funds for the project, as certified by the appropriate fiscal officers, in the amount of the difference between the lowest base bid and the approved available funds for the project, the governmental body shall submit a request to use those additional funds in accordance with Chapter 47, Title 2.

HISTORY: 1981 Act No. 148, Section 1; 1981 Act No. 179 Section 16; 1992 Act No. 442, Section 1; 1993 Act No. 178, Section 27; 1993 Act No. 164, Part II, Section 65; 1997 Act No. 153, Section 1; 2006 Act No. 376, Section 40; 2008 Act No. 174, Section 13; 2019 Act No. 41 (S.530), Section 40, eff May 13, 2019.

Editor's Note

2008 Act No. 174, Section 21, provides as follows:

"This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor and applies to solicitations issued on or after January 1, 2008."

2019 Act No. 41, Section 80, provides as follows:

"SECTION 80. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor and applies to solicitations issued after that date."

Effect of Amendment

2019 Act No. 41, Section 40, in (a), inserted the fifth sentence; in (b)(i), in the first and second sentences, substituted "license classification or subclassification" for "specialty", and in the fourth sentence, substituted "clearly identify in his bid" for "set forth in his bid the name of"; in (c), in (ii), in the first sentence, substituted "five business" for "ten", and in (iii), substituted "five-day" for "ten-day"; and in (d), in (i), in the second sentence, substituted "price" for "cost" in two places and substituted "interest of the State" for "best interest of the State", and in (ii), substituted "in accordance with Chapter 47, Title 2" for "to the board and the Joint Bond Review Committee in accordance with Sections 2-47-40 and 2-47-50", and made a nonsubstantive change.