CHAPTER 6. Awarding of Contracts [6100. - 6615.]

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC 6.

in effect

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 6100. Section 6100.

(a) A state agency, as defined in Section 10335.7 that is subject to this code, shall, prior to awarding a contract for work to be performed by a contractor, as defined by Section 7026 of the Business and Professions Code, verify with the Contractors State License Board that the person seeking the contract is licensed in a classification appropriate to the work to be undertaken. Verification as required by this section need only be made once every two years with respect to the same contractor. (b) In lieu of the verification, the state entity may require the person seeking the contract to present his or her pocket license or certificate of licensure and provide a signed statement which swears, under penalty of perjury, that the pocket license or certificate of licensure presented is his or hers, is current and valid, and is in a classification appropriate to the work to be undertaken.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 6101. Section 6101.

(a) A state agency, as defined in Section 10335.7, that is subject to this code, shall not award a public works or purchase contract to a bidder or contractor, nor shall a bidder or contractor be eligible to bid for or receive a public works or purchase contract, who has, in the preceding five years, been convicted of violating a state or federal law respecting the employment of undocumented immigrants. (b) For purposes of this section, “immigrant” means a person who is not a citizen or national of the United States.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 6102. Section 6102.

(a) A contract that was entered into because of an act that would constitute a violation of a state or federal crime relating to bribery of a public official, including, but not limited to, a violation of Section 68 or 86 of the Penal Code is voidable. (b) This section applies to contracts executed on or after January 1, 2023, including contracts negotiated prior to January 1, 2023.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 6106. Section 6106.

(a) Any state agency or department, which is subject to this code, shall follow this section in negotiating fees and executing a contract for professional consulting services of a private architectural, engineering, land surveying, environmental, or construction project management firm. (b) After providing notification to the successful firm of its selection, the state shall provide written instructions for the negotiations which are to follow. These instructions shall provide the private consulting firm with necessary information which shall allow the negotiations to proceed in an orderly fashion. Negotiations shall begin within 14 days after the successful firm has been notified of its selection or upon receipt of the cost proposal. The contractor should be notified if additional time is necessary to begin negotiations. (c) Upon the completion of negotiations, the state and the private firm shall proceed to execute a contract so that the contract may be completed by the state within 45 days. The contractor should be notified if additional time is necessary to complete the contract. The state and private firm shall work together to ensure the successful delivery of the requested services in a timely fashion. (d) In the event that an impasse is reached in negotiations, the state agency or department may terminate negotiations and enter into negotiations with the next most qualified firm as prescribed in Section 4528 of the Government Code.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 6106.5. Section 6106.5.

(a) “State agency,” as used in this section, means those departments defined in Section 10106 of the Public Contract Code. (b) “Contractor,” as used in this section, means “firm,” “architectural, landscape architectural, engineering, environmental, and land surveying services,” “construction project management,” and “environmental services” as defined in Section 4525 of the Government Code. (c) State agencies shall include a provision in solicitations and in contracts, if the estimated amount to be retained exceeds ten thousand dollars ($10,000), and the retention continues for a period of 60 days beyond the completion of phased services, to permit, upon written request and the expense of the contractor, the payment of retentions earned directly to a state- or federally chartered bank in this state, as the escrow agent. The contractor may direct the investment of the payments into securities, pursuant to subdivision (d), and the contractor shall receive the interest earned on the investments. Upon satisfactory completion of the contract, the contractor shall receive from the escrow agent all securities, interest, and payments received by the escrow agent from the owner, pursuant to the terms of this section. State agencies, relative to contracts entered into prior to the enactment of this section, upon written request of the contractor, and subject to the approval of the state agency, may utilize the provisions of this section. (d) Securities eligible for investment under this section shall include those listed in Section 16430 of the Government Code, interest-bearing demand deposit accounts, or any other investment mutually agreed to by the contractor and the state agency. (e) (1) Any contractor who elects to receive interest on moneys withheld in retention by a state agency shall, at the request of any subcontractor, make that option available to the subcontractor regarding any moneys withheld in retention by the contractor from the subcontractor. If the contractor elects to receive interest on any moneys withheld in retention by a state agency, then the subcontractor shall receive the identical rate of interest received by the contractor on any retention moneys withheld from the subcontractor by the contractor, less any actual pro rata costs associated with administering and calculating that interest. In the event that the interest rate is a fluctuating rate, the rate for the subcontractor shall be determined by calculating the interest rate paid during the time that retentions were withheld from the subcontractor. If the contractor elects to substitute securities in lieu of retention, then, by mutual consent of the contractor and subcontractor, the subcontractor may substitute securities in exchange for the release of moneys held in retention by the contractor. (2) This subdivision shall apply only to those subcontractors performing more than 5 percent of the contractor’s total fee. (3) No contractor shall require any subcontractor to waive any provision of this section. (f) An escrow agreement used pursuant to this section shall be null, void, and unenforceable unless it is substantially similar to the following form: ESCROW AGREEMENT FOR SECURITY DEPOSITS This Escrow Agreement is made and entered into by and between whose address is hereinafter called “owner,” whose address is hereinafter called “contractor,” and whose address is hereinafter called “escrow agent.” (1) Pursuant to Section 6106.5 of the Public Contract Code of the State of California, upon written request of the contractor, the owner shall make payments of retention earnings required to be withheld by the owner pursuant to the professional consulting services agreement entered into between the owner and contractor for ____ in the amount of ____ dated ____ hereafter referred to as the “contract.” (2) When the owner makes payment of retentions earned directly to the escrow agent, the escrow agent shall hold them for the benefit of the contractor until such time as the escrow created under this contract is terminated. The contractor may direct the investment of the payments into securities pursuant to Section 6106.5(d) of the Public Contract Code. All terms and conditions of this agreement and the rights and responsibilities of the parties shall be equally applicable and binding when the owner pays the escrow agent directly. (3) The contractor shall be responsible for paying all fees for the expenses incurred by the escrow agent in administering the escrow account. These expenses and payment terms shall be determined by the contractor and escrow agent. (4) The contractor shall have the right to withdraw all or any part of the principal or interest in the escrow account only by written notice to the escrow agent accompanied by written authorization from the owner to the escrow agent that the owner consents to the withdrawal of the amount sought to be withdrawn by contractor. (5) The owner shall have a right to draw upon the escrow account in the event of default by the contractor. Upon seven days’ written notice to the escrow agent from the owner of the default, the escrow agent shall immediately distribute the cash as instructed by the owner. (6) Upon receipt of written notification from the owner certifying that the contract is final and complete, and that the contractor has complied with all requirements and procedures applicable to the contract, the escrow agent shall release to the contractor all deposits and interest on deposits less escrow fees and charges of the escrow account. The escrow shall be closed immediately upon disbursement of all moneys on deposit and payments of fees and charges. (7) The escrow agent shall rely on the written notifications from the owner and the contractor pursuant to Sections (1) to (6), inclusive, of this agreement and the owner and contractor shall hold the escrow agent harmless from the escrow agent’s release, conversion, and disbursement of the securities and interest as set forth above. (8) The names of the persons who are authorized to give written notice or to receive written notice on behalf of the owner and on behalf of the contractor in connection with the foregoing, and exemplars of their respective signatures are as follows: On behalf of the owner: On behalf of the contractor: Title Title Name Name Address Address On behalf of the escrow agent: Title Name Signature Address At the time the escrow account is opened, the owner and contractor shall deliver to the escrow agent a fully executed counterpart of this Agreement. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement by their proper officers on the date first set forth above. Owner Contractor Title Title Name Name Signature Signature

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 6107. Section 6107.

(a) As used in this section, “California company” means a sole proprietorship, partnership, joint venture, corporation, or other business entity that was a licensed California contractor on the date when bids for the public contract were opened and meets one of the following: (1) Has its principal place of business in California. (2) Has its principal place of business in a state in which there is no local contractor preference on construction contracts. (3) Has its principal place of business in a state in which there is a local contractor construction preference and the contractor has paid not less than five thousand dollars ($5,000) in sales or use taxes to California for construction related activity for each of the five years immediately preceding the submission of the bid. (b) (1) When awarding contracts for construction, a state agency shall grant a California company a reciprocal preference as against a nonresident contractor from any state that gives or requires a preference to be given contractors from that state on its public entity construction contracts. (2) The amount of the reciprocal preference shall be equal to the amount of the preference applied by the state of the nonresident contractor with the lowest responsive bid, except where the resident contractor is eligible for a California small business preference, in which case the preference applied shall be the greater of the two, but not both. (3) If the contractor submitting the lowest responsive bid is not a California company and has its principal place of business in any state that gives or requires the giving of a preference on its public entity construction contracts to contractors from that state, and if a California company has also submitted a responsive bid, and, with the benefit of the reciprocal preference, the California company’s bid is equal to or less than the original lowest responsive bid, the public entity shall award the contract to the California company at its submitted bid price. (c) (1) The bidder shall certify, under penalty of perjury, that the bidder qualifies as a California company. (2) A nonresident contractor shall, at the time of bidding, disclose to the awarding agency any and all bid preferences provided to the nonresident contractor by the state or country in which the nonresident contractor has its principal place of business. (d) The reciprocal preference is waived if the certification described in paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) does not appear on the bid. (e) This section does not apply if application of this section might jeopardize the receipt of federal funds or the nonresident contractor certifies, under penalty of perjury, in its bid that its state of residency does not give a preference for contractors from that state on its public entity construction contracts. (f) “Construction related activity” shall include, without limitation, any activity for which a California contractors’ license is required.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 6108. Section 6108.

(a) (1) Every contract entered into by any state agency for the procurement or laundering of apparel, garments, or corresponding accessories, or the procurement of equipment, materials, or supplies, other than procurement related to a public works contract, shall require that a contractor certify that no apparel, garments, corresponding accessories, equipment, materials, or supplies furnished to the state pursuant to the contract have been laundered or produced in whole or in part by sweatshop labor, forced labor, convict labor, indentured labor under penal sanction, abusive forms of child labor, or exploitation of children in sweatshop labor, or with the benefit of sweatshop labor, forced labor, convict labor, indentured labor under penal sanction, abusive forms of child labor, or exploitation of children in sweatshop labor. The contractor shall agree to comply with this provision of the contract. (2) The contract shall specify that the contractor is required to cooperate fully in providing reasonable access to the contractor’s records, documents, agents, employees, or premises if reasonably required by authorized officials of the contracting agency, the Department of Industrial Relations, or the Department of Justice determine the contractor’s compliance with the requirements under paragraph (1). (b) (1) Any contractor contracting with the state who knew or should have known that the apparel, garments, corresponding accessories, equipment, materials, or supplies furnished to the state were laundered or produced in violation of the conditions specified in subdivision (a) when entering into a contract pursuant to subdivision (a), may, subject to subdivision (c), have any or all of the following sanctions imposed: (A) The contract under which the prohibited apparel, garments, or corresponding accessories, equipment, materials, or supplies were laundered or provided may be voided at the option of the state agency to which the equipment, materials, or supplies were provided. (B) The contractor may be assessed a penalty that shall be the greater of one thousand dollars ($1,000) or an amount equaling 20 percent of the value of the apparel, garments, corresponding accessories, equipment, materials, or supplies that the state agency demonstrates were produced in violation of the conditions specified in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) and that were supplied to the state agency under the contract. (C) The contractor may be removed from the bidder’s list for a period not to exceed 360 days. (2) Any moneys collected pursuant to this subdivision shall be deposited into the General Fund. (c) (1) When imposing the sanctions described in subdivision (b), the contracting agency shall notify the contractor of the right to a hearing, if requested, within 15 days of the date of the notice. The hearing shall be before an administrative law judge of the Office of Administrative Hearings in accordance with the procedures specified in Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 11500) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code. The administrative law judge shall take into consideration any measures the contractor has taken to ensure compliance with this section, and may waive any or all of the sanctions if it is determined that the contractor has acted in good faith. (2) The agency shall be assessed the cost of the administrative hearing, unless the agency has prevailed in the hearing, in which case the contractor shall be assessed the cost of the hearing. (d) (1) Any state agency that investigates a complaint against a contractor for violation of this section may limit its investigation to evaluating the information provided by the person or entity submitting the complaint and the information provided by the contractor. (2) Whenever a contracting officer of the contracting agency has reason to believe that the contractor failed to comply with paragraph (1) of subdivision (a), the agency shall refer the matter for investigation to the head of the agency and, as the head of the agency determines appropriate, to either the Director of Industrial Relations or the Department of Justice. (e) (1) For purposes of this section, “forced labor” shall have the same meaning as in Section 1307 of Title 19 of the United States Code. (2) “Abusive forms of child labor” means any of the following: (A) All forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery, such as the sale and trafficking of children, debt bondage, and serfdom and forced or compulsory labor, including forced or compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed conflict. (B) The use, procuring, or offering of a child for prostitution, for the production of pornography, or for pornographic performances. (C) The use, procuring, or offering of a child for illicit activities, in particular for the production and trafficking of illicit drugs. (D) All work or service exacted from or performed by any person under the age of 18 years either under the menace of any penalty for its nonperformance and for which the worker does not offer oneself voluntarily, or under a contract, the enforcement of which can be accomplished by process or penalties. (E) All work or service exacted from or performed by a child in violation of all applicable laws of the country of manufacture governing the minimum age of employment, compulsory education, and occupational health and safety. (3) “Exploitation of children in sweatshop labor” means all work or service exacted from or performed by any person under the age of 18 years in violation of more than one law of the country of manufacture governing wage and benefits, occupational health and safety, nondiscrimination, and freedom of association. (4) “Sweatshop labor” means all work or service exacted from or performed by any person in violation of more than one law of the country of manufacture governing wages, employee benefits, occupational health, occupational safety, nondiscrimination, or freedom of association. (5) “Apparel, garments, or corresponding accessories” includes, but is not limited to, uniforms. (6) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, “forced labor” and “convict labor” do not include work or services performed by an inmate or a person employed by the California Correctional Training and Rehabilitation Authority. (7) “State agency” means any state agency in this state. (f) (1) On or before February 1, 2004, the Department of Industrial Relations shall establish a contractor responsibility program, including a Sweatfree Code of Conduct, to be signed by all bidders on state contracts and subcontracts. Any state agency responsible for procurement shall ensure that the Sweatfree Code of Conduct is available for public review at least 30 calendar days between the dates of receipt and the final award of the contract. The Sweatfree Code of Conduct shall list the requirements that contractors are required to meet, as set forth in subdivision (g). (2) Upon implementation in the manner described in paragraph (4), every contract entered into by any state agency for the procurement or laundering of apparel, garments, or corresponding accessories, or for the procurement of equipment or supplies, shall require that the contractor certify in accordance with the Sweatfree Code of Conduct that no apparel, garments, or corresponding accessories, or equipment, materials, or supplies, furnished to the state pursuant to the contract have been laundered or produced, in whole or in part, by sweatshop labor. (3) The appropriate procurement agency, in consultation with the Director of Industrial Relations, shall employ a phased and targeted approach to implementing the Sweatfree Code of Conduct. Sweatfree Code of Conduct procurement policies involving apparel, garments, and corresponding accessories may be permitted a phasein period of up to one year for purposes of feasibility and providing sufficient notice to contractors and the general public. The appropriate procurement agency, in consultation with the Director of Industrial Relations, shall target other procurement categories based on the magnitude of verified sweatshop conditions and the feasibility of implementation, and may set phasein goals and timetables of up to three years to achieve compliance with the principles of the Sweatfree Code of Conduct. (4) In order to facilitate compliance with the Sweatfree Code of Conduct, the Department of Industrial Relations shall explore mechanisms employed by other governmental entities, including, but not limited to, New Jersey Executive Order No. 20, of 2002, to ensure that businesses that contract with this state are in compliance with this section and any regulations or requirements promulgated in conformance with this section, as amended by Section 2 of Chapter 711 of the Statutes of 2003. The mechanisms explored may include, but not be limited to, authorization to contract with a competent nonprofit organization that is neither funded nor controlled, in whole or in part, by a corporation that is engaged in the procurement or laundering of apparel, garments, or corresponding accessories, or the procurement of equipment, materials, or supplies. The Department of Industrial Relations, in complying with this paragraph, shall also consider any feasible and cost-effective monitoring measures that will encourage compliance with the Sweatfree Code of Conduct. (5) To ensure public access and confidence, the Department of Industrial Relations shall ensure public awareness and access to proposed contracts by postings on the Internet and through communication to advocates for garment workers, unions, and other interested parties. The appropriate agencies shall establish a mechanism for soliciting and reviewing any information indicating violations of the Sweatfree Code of Conduct by prospective or current bidders, contractors, or subcontractors. The agencies shall make their findings public when they reject allegations against bidding or contracting parties. (6) Contractors shall ensure that their subcontractors comply in writing with the Sweatfree Code of Conduct, under penalty of perjury. Contractors shall attach a copy of the Sweatfree Code of Conduct to the certification required by subdivision (a). (g) No state agency may enter into a contract with any contractor unless the contractor meets the following requirements: (1) Contractors and subcontractors in California shall comply with all appropriate state laws concerning wages, workplace safety, rights to association and assembly, and nondiscrimination standards as well as appropriate federal laws. Contractors based in other states in the United States shall comply with all appropriate laws of their states and appropriate federal laws. For contractors whose locations for manufacture or assembly are outside the United States, those contractors shall ensure that their subcontractors comply with the appropriate laws of countries where the facilities are located. (2) Contractors and subcontractors shall maintain a policy of not terminating any employee except for just cause, and employees shall have access to a mediator or to a mediation process to resolve certain workplace disputes that are not regulated by the National Labor Relations Board. (3) Contractors and subcontractors shall ensure that workers are paid, at a minimum, wages and benefits in compliance with applicable local, state, and national laws of the jurisdiction in which the labor, on behalf of the contractor or subcontractor, is performed. Whenever a state agency expends funds for the procurement or laundering of apparel, garments, or corresponding accessories, or the procurement of equipment, materials, or supplies, other than procurement related to a public works contract, the applicable labor standards established by the local jurisdiction through the exercise of either local police powers or local spending powers in which the labor, in compliance with the contract or purchase order for which the expenditure is made, is performed shall apply with regard to the contract or purchase order for which the expenditure is made, unless the applicable local standards are in conflict with, or are explicitly preempted by, state law. A state agency may not require, as a condition for the receipt of state funds or assistance, that a local jurisdiction refrain from applying the labor standards that are otherwise applicable to that local jurisdiction. The Department of Industrial Relations may, without incurring additional expenses, access information from any nonprofit organization, including, but not limited to, the World Bank, that gathers and disseminates data with respect to wages paid throughout the world, to allow the Department of Industrial Relations to determine whether contractors and subcontractors are compensating their employees at a level that enables those employees to live above the applicable poverty level. (4) All contractors and subcontractors shall comply with the overtime laws and regulations of the country in which their employees are working. (5) All overtime hours shall be worked voluntarily. Workers shall be compensated for overtime at either (A) the rate of compensation for regular hours of work, or (B) as legally required in the country of manufacture, whichever is greater. (6) No person may be employed who is younger than the legal age for children to work in the country in which the facility is located. In no case may children under the age of 15 years be employed in the manufacturing process. Where the age for completing compulsory education is higher than the standard for the minimum age of employment, the age for completing education shall apply to this section. (7) There may be no form of forced labor of any kind, including slave labor, prison labor, indentured labor, or bonded labor, including forced overtime hours. (8) The work environment shall be safe and healthy and, at a minimum, be in compliance with relevant local, state, and national laws. If residential facilities are provided to workers, those facilities shall be safe and healthy as well. (9) There may be no discrimination in hiring, salary, benefits, performance evaluation, discipline, promotion, retirement, or dismissal on the basis of age, sex, pregnancy, maternity leave status, marital status, race, nationality, country of origin, ethnic origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, or political opinion. (10) No worker may be subjected to any physical, sexual, psychological, or verbal harassment or abuse, including corporal punishment, under any circumstances, including, but not limited to, retaliation for exercising their right to free speech and assembly. (11) No worker may be forced to use contraceptives or take pregnancy tests. No worker may be exposed to chemicals, including glues and solvents, that endanger reproductive health. (12) Contractors and bidders shall list the names and addresses of each subcontractor to be utilized in the performance of the contract, and list each manufacturing or other facility or operation of the contractor or subcontractor for performance of the contract. The list, which shall be maintained and updated to show any changes in subcontractors during the term of the contract, shall provide company names, owners or officers, addresses, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, and the nature of the business association. (h) Any person who certifies as true any material matter pursuant to this section that they know to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor. (i) The provisions of this section, as amended by Section 2 of Chapter 711 of the Statutes of 2003, shall be in addition to any other provisions that authorize the prosecution and enforcement of local labor laws and may not be interpreted to prohibit a local prosecutor from bringing a criminal or civil action against an individual or business that violates the provisions of this section. (j) (1) The certification requirements set forth in subdivisions (a) and (f) do not apply to a credit card purchase of goods of two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500) or less. (2) The total amount of exemption authorized herein shall not exceed seven thousand five hundred dollars ($7,500) per year for each company from which a state agency is purchasing goods by credit card. It shall be the responsibility of each state agency to monitor the use of this exemption and adhere to these restrictions on these purchases.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 6109. Section 6109.

(a) A public entity, as defined in Section 1100, may not permit a contractor or subcontractor who is ineligible to bid or work on, or be awarded, a public works project pursuant to Section 1777.1 or 1777.7 of the Labor Code to bid on, be awarded, or perform work as a subcontractor on, a public works project. Every public works project shall contain a provision prohibiting a contractor from performing work on a public works project with a subcontractor who is ineligible to perform work on the public works project pursuant to Section 1777.1 or 1777.7 of the Labor Code. (b) Any contract on a public works project entered into between a contractor and a debarred subcontractor is void as a matter of law. A debarred subcontractor may not receive any public money for performing work as a subcontractor on a public works contract, and any public money that may have been paid to a debarred subcontractor by a contractor on the project shall be returned to the awarding body. The contractor shall be responsible for the payment of wages to workers of a debarred subcontractor who has been allowed to work on the project.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 6610. Section 6610.

Notice inviting formal bids for projects by a public agency that include a requirement for any type of mandatory prebid conference, site visit, or meeting shall include the time, date, and location of the mandatory prebid site visit, conference or meeting, and when and where project documents, including final plans and specifications are available. Any mandatory prebid site visit, conference or meeting shall not occur within a minimum of five calendar days of the publication of the initial notice. This provision shall not apply to the Regents of the University of California.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 6611. Section 6611.

(a) Notwithstanding any other law, the Department of General Services may, relative to contracts for goods, services, information technology, and telecommunications, use a negotiation process if the department finds that one or more of the following conditions exist: (1) The business need or purpose of a procurement or contract can be further defined as a result of a negotiation process. (2) The business need or purpose of a procurement or contract is known by the department, but a negotiation process may identify different types of solutions to fulfill this business need or purpose. (3) The complexity of the purpose or need suggests a bidder’s costs to prepare and develop a solicitation response are extremely high. (4) The business need or purpose of a procurement or contract is known by the department, but negotiation is necessary to ensure that the department is receiving the best value or the most cost-efficient goods, services, information technology, and telecommunications. (b) When it is in the best interests of the state, the department may negotiate amendments to the terms and conditions, including scope of work, of existing contracts for goods, services, information technology, and telecommunications, whether or not the original contract was the result of competition, on behalf of itself or another state agency. (c) (1) The department shall establish the procedures and guidelines for the negotiation process described in subdivision (a). Those procedures and guidelines shall include, but not be limited to, a clear description of the methodology that will be used by the department to evaluate a bid for the procurement of goods, services, information technology, and telecommunications. (2) The procedures and guidelines described in paragraph (1) may include provisions that authorize the department to receive supplemental bids after the initial bids are opened. If the procedures and guidelines include these provisions, the procedures and guidelines shall specify the conditions under which supplemental bids may be received by the department. (d) An unsuccessful bidder shall have no right to protest the results of the negotiating process undertaken pursuant to this section. As a remedy, an unsuccessful bidder may file a petition for a writ of mandate in accordance with Section 1085 of the Code of Civil Procedure. The venue for the petition for a writ of mandate shall be Sacramento, California. An action filed pursuant to this subdivision shall be given preference by the court. (e) (1) The Department of Technology may utilize the negotiation process described in subdivisions (a) and (b) for the purpose of procuring information technology and telecommunications goods and services on behalf of state departments and information technology projects. (2) Nothing in this section shall be interpreted to supersede the department’s existing statutory control over procurement processes as dictated in Section 12100. (f) On or before January 1, 2013, and annually thereafter, the Department of Technology shall report to the relevant budget subcommittees of each house of the Legislature on the use of subdivision (e) during budget hearings.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 6615. Section 6615.

For all state contracts, and, to the extent feasible, all federally funded contracts awarded pursuant to Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 10100), Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 10290), Chapter 2.5 (commencing with Section 10700), Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 12100), Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 12120), and Chapter 3.6 (commencing with Section 12125) of Part 2 of Division 2 shall be in compliance with Section 12205.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026