ARTICLE 3. Competitive Bidding and Other Acquisition Procedures [10300. - 10334.]

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC 3.
in effect

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 10300. Section 10300.

(a) A Customer and Supplier Advocate shall be established in the department as a resource to state agencies and departments, and suppliers seeking information regarding the state process, procedures, and regulations for bidding on state contracts, and as a resource to bidders seeking to file a protest on award in accordance with this chapter. The advocate shall, at a minimum, provide the following services to the protesting bidder: (1) Assistance to customer departments and agencies regarding contracting rules and regulations, and acquisition resource options. (2) Assistance to the bidder in assessing the validity of the bidder’s proposed grounds of filing the protest in accordance with the terms of the solicitation, as well as statutory or regulatory guidelines governing the solicitation in question. (3) Provision of information to the protesting bidder regarding avenues and options available to the bidder to proceed with a formal protest of the award. (b) The advocate shall make services, as specified in this section, available on a timely basis to the protesting bidder. (c) Notification to bidders regarding the availability of services by the advocate shall be included in the solicitation. This notification shall also outline procedures and timelines for bidders who may wish to engage the services of the advocate.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 10301. Section 10301.

Except in cases when the agency and the department agree that an article of a specified brand or trade name is the only article that will properly meet the needs of the agency, or in cases where the Department of General Services has made a determination pursuant to Section 10308, all contracts for the acquisition or lease of goods in an amount of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000), or a higher amount as established by the director, shall be made or entered into with the lowest responsible bidder meeting specifications. For purposes of determining the lowest bid, the amount of sales tax shall be excluded from the total amount of the bid.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 10302. Section 10302.

(a) Except in cases of emergency where immediate purchase of goods without bid is necessary for the protection of the public health, welfare, or safety, whenever the department contracts for goods in excess of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000), or a higher amount as established by the director, the department shall advertise in the California State Contracts Register the availability of its solicitation, and interested suppliers, upon request, shall be furnished with copies of the solicitation. In addition to advertising in the California State Contracts Register, the department shall post in a public place a copy of the solicitation, which shall remain posted until seven days after an award has been made. Whenever a contract in excess of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000), or a higher amount as established by the director, is made pursuant to this section or Section 10301 without the taking of bids, the department shall prepare a written document stating the fact of the contract together with the facts requiring the contract of the goods without the taking of bids. This document shall be maintained by the department and shall be available as a public record. (b) (1) Every solicitation shall contain the following statement: “It is unlawful for any person engaged in business within this state to sell or use any article or product as a “loss leader” as defined in Section 17030 of the Business and Professions Code.” (2) On and after March 31, 2010, and until December 31, 2011, if a solicitation does not contain the statement required by paragraph (1), the awarding agency shall report this error to the department within 30 days of the date the awarding agency discovers this error. (3) The department shall post in the State Contracting Manual instructions for including the statement required by paragraph (1) in all affected contracts. (4) The statement required by paragraph (1) shall be deemed to be part of a solicitation even if the statement is inadvertently omitted from the solicitation.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 10302.5. Section 10302.5.

All product specifications that the department or any other state agency prepares for goods for any contract entered into by any state agency for the acquisition of goods under Section 10295 are not subject to the review and adoption procedure under Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 10302.6. Section 10302.6.

Product specifications as prepared by the department or any other state agency shall not be written with the intent of excluding goods manufactured, produced, grown, or otherwise originating in California.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 10303. Section 10303.

The department shall adopt, publish and apply uniform standards of rating bidders, on the basis of questionnaires and required statements, with respect to contracts upon which each bidder is qualified to bid. The department may adopt and publish lists of qualified bidders. No list so adopted and published shall preclude a qualified bidder not on the list from submitting a bid or bids and from being awarded a contract or contracts as the successful bidder. The department may remove a bidder who has demonstrated a lack of reliability in complying with and completing previously awarded contracts with the state, based upon his or her performance on contracts previously been awarded by the state. The department may remove the bidder from any list of qualified bidders prepared by the department for a period of not less than six months but not to exceed 36 months. Any bidder temporarily removed under this section shall be returned to the list of qualified bidders at any time after the initial six months, upon demonstrating to the department’s satisfaction that the problems that resulted in the bidder’s previously demonstrated unreliability in complying with and completing state contracts have been corrected.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 10304. Section 10304.

All bids shall be sealed and shall be publicly opened and read at the time set forth in the solicitation, provided any person present desires the bids to be so read. No bids shall be considered which have not been received in the office of the department prior to the closing time for bids set forth in the invitations to bids. The department shall maintain confidentiality regarding each bid until the public opening and reading takes place.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 10304.1. Section 10304.1.

Notwithstanding Sections 10301, 10302, and 10304, the Department of Water Resources may award contracts for the acquisition of specialized equipment for facilities of the State Water Resources Development System, as defined in Section 12931 of the Water Code. Prior to exercising the authority granted by this section, the Department of Water Resources, in collaboration with the department, shall establish the conditions under which any contract in excess of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) is awarded without the competitive bidding process. The conditions shall be developed to expedite operations and maintenance work to reduce the risk of the loss of water or power to the State Water Resources Development System, and shall require the Department of Water Resources to prepare a written document declaring that the contract meets those conditions. Consistent with its authority under Section 10297, the department shall review those contracts for consistency with the conditions established pursuant to this section.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 10306. Section 10306.

(a) Whenever a contract under this article is not to be awarded to the lowest bidder, the bidder shall be notified 24 hours prior to awarding the contract to another bidder. Upon written request by any bidder who has submitted a bid, notice of the proposed award shall be posted in a public place specified in the solicitation document by the department, that may include an electronic location or Internet Web site, at least 24 hours prior to awarding the contract. If prior to making the award, any bidder who has submitted a bid files a protest with the department against the awarding of the contract on the ground that he or she is the lowest responsible bidder meeting specifications, the contract shall not be awarded until either the protest has been withdrawn or the department has made a final decision as to the action to be taken relative to the protest. In computing the 24-hour periods provided for in this section, Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays shall be excluded. (b) Within 10 days after filing a protest, the protesting bidder shall file with the department a full and complete written statement specifying in detail the ground of the protest and the facts in support thereof.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 10307. Section 10307.

The director shall establish statewide acquisition standards, the purpose of which shall be to ensure the necessary quality of goods acquired by or under the supervision of the department and to permit the consolidation of acquisitions in order to effect greater economies in state contracting.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 10308. Section 10308.

Except as provided otherwise in this chapter, every acquisition of goods in excess of one hundred dollars ($100) for any state agency shall be made by or under the supervision of the department. However, the state agency may specify the quality of the goods to be acquired. If the department determines that the quality specified by the agency is inconsistent with the statewide standards established by the director under Section 10307, it shall change the request to make it consistent with the standards, and it shall notify the state agency, within a reasonable time, before a contract is issued. If the agency is of the opinion the interests of the state would not be served by the acquisition of goods of a lesser quality or different than that specified by the agency, the agency may request a hearing before the department and the department shall determine which goods will best serve the interests of the state, whereupon the department shall issue a contract for the goods specified by the department.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 10309. Section 10309.

Except as provided in Sections 10332 and 10333, no state agency may acquire goods in the open market, unless permission has been given by the department, upon a showing of the necessity therefor.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 10310. Section 10310.

Upon the request of the department, every state agency that is authorized by law to acquire goods shall designate some person in the agency whose duty it shall be to make reports to the department at times and in a manner as it may require.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 10311. Section 10311.

(a) An estimate or requisition approved by the state agency in control of the appropriation or fund against which an acquisition is to be charged, is full authority for any contract for goods of the quality specified by the agency or determined by the department as provided in this article made pursuant thereto by the department. (b) The department shall issue a call for bids within 30 days after receiving a requisition for any goods that are regularly acquired within this state. The period of closing time designated in the invitations for bids shall be exclusive of holidays and shall be extended to the next working day after a holiday. (c) Except as provided in subdivision (d), after the closing date for receiving any bids within or without this state, the contract shall be awarded or the bids shall be rejected within 45 days unless a protest is filed as provided in Section 10306. (d) After the 45-day time period prescribed by subdivision (c), the department may in its sound discretion either award the contract to the lowest responsible bidder meeting specifications who remains willing to accept the award or else reject all bids. (e) The amendments made to this section at the 1987–88 Regular Session of the Legislature do not constitute a change in, but are declaratory of, existing law.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 10312. Section 10312.

Immediately upon the rendition of services or the delivery of goods, the disbursing officer shall transmit the invoice or demand for payment together with his or her sworn statement to the Controller. The sworn statement shall show that the services have been rendered and the goods delivered to the state agency in accordance with the contract and law.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 10313. Section 10313.

The director may make the services of the department under this article available, upon those terms and conditions as he or she may deem satisfactory, to any tax-supported public agency in the state, including a school district.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 10314. Section 10314.

Any contract for goods to be manufactured by the contractor specially for the state and not suitable for sale to others in the ordinary course of the contractor’s business may provide, on such terms and conditions as the department deems necessary to protect the state’s interests, for progress payments for work performed and costs incurred at the contractor’s shop or plant, provided that not less than 10 percent of the contract price is required to be withheld until final delivery and acceptance of the goods, and provided further, that the contractor is required to submit a faithful performance bond, acceptable to the department, in a sum not less than one-half of the total amount payable under the contract securing the faithful performance of the contract by the contractor.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 10315. Section 10315.

The department may rent, lease, construct, and maintain warehouses and make the rules and regulations that are necessary for the proper and economical making of state acquisitions.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 10316. Section 10316.

The department may insure in the name of the state any goods or merchandise belonging to the state which are stored in any warehouse or storage depot not under exclusive state control, in an amount sufficient to indemnify the state against loss or damage by fire. Premiums for such insurance shall be paid out of the Service Revolving Fund and prorated and added to the price of the goods or merchandise.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 10317. Section 10317.

Each person in the department who has personal supervision and control of any warehouse or storage depot wherein merchandise or goods belonging to the state are stored, shall execute to the people of the state a bond in the penal sum of five thousand dollars ($5,000). Premiums on the bonds shall be paid by the state as are the premiums upon the bonds of state officers.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 10318. Section 10318.

No state agency or employee thereof shall draft or cause to be drafted, any specifications for bids, in connection with the acquisition or contemplated acquisition of any goods or textbooks for use in the day and evening elementary schools of the state, in such a manner as to limit the bidding directly or indirectly, to any one bidder. Bidders may be required to furnish a bond or other indemnification to the state against claims or liability for patent infringement.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 10319. Section 10319.

To meet an emergency, goods of a perishable nature, in an amount not exceeding one hundred dollars ($100) in value, may be acquired by a state agency without the permission of the department.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 10320.5. Section 10320.5.

(a) Commencing January 1, 1992, all state agencies subject to this chapter that enter into installment purchase or lease-purchase contracts shall make periodic payments, which shall include interest computed from a date no later than the acceptance date of the goods purchased pursuant to the contract. However, if the contract requires an acceptance test, interest shall be computed from a date no later than the first day of the successful acceptance test period. Unless otherwise provided for in the contract, periodic payments shall commence upon acceptance of the goods or, if the contract requires an acceptance test, as of the first day of the successful acceptance test period. Late charges shall accrue for any periodic payment not made to the contractor or its assigns from either the payment date provided in the contract or 60 days following the receipt of a valid invoice for the periodic payment, whichever is later. However, in the event any invoice is received prior to the acceptance date, the receipt date of the invoice shall be construed to be the acceptance date. Late charges under this section shall be assessed using the interest rate as specified in Section 927.6 of the Government Code. (b) The department is authorized to refinance installment purchase contracts when, in the determination of the department, it is financially beneficial to the state to do so.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 10322. Section 10322.

Any person who supplies any state agency with livestock products derived from any of the animals enumerated in Section 19501 of the Food and Agricultural Code shall file with the department a sworn statement that the animals were slaughtered by methods defined in that section and in Sections 19502 and 19503 of the Food and Agricultural Code.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 10323. Section 10323.

To assist the department and other state agencies in the enforcement of the provisions of Section 19501 of the Food and Agricultural Code, the Department of Food and Agriculture shall provide, through cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture in the enforcement of Public Law 85-765 and by means of appropriate regulations, suitable methods of identifying the carcasses of animals inspected and passed under Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 18651) of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Food and Agricultural Code that have been slaughtered by methods prescribed by Sections 19501, 19502, and 19503 of that code.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 10325. Section 10325.

Each quarter, the department shall, upon request, provide each city, county, city and county, district, local government body, or public corporation empowered to expend public funds for the acquisition of consumable goods and other interested parties with a list of those items available for acquisition under Section 10324. The department may supplement the quarterly lists with a monthly supplement of changes, additions and deletions. Terms, conditions, and specifications shall be provided upon request.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 10326. Section 10326.

In establishing bid specifications for the acquisition of motor vehicles and in determining the lowest responsible bidder, consideration may be given by the state to the probable resale value of the vehicles as determined by recognized published used car marketing guides and other established historical evidence of future used motor vehicle value or, in lieu thereof, by contractual guarantee of the apparent low bidder that the resale value of the vehicle will be no less in proportion to bid price than any other comparable vehicle complying with specifications for which a bid was received.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 10326.1. Section 10326.1.

(a) A campus or a facility of a California Community College or a campus or a facility of the California State University, that owns, leases, or otherwise has possession or control of a 15-passenger van, may not, on or after January 1, 2005, authorize the operation of that van for the purpose of transporting passengers unless the person driving or otherwise operating that van has both of the following: (1) A valid class B driver’s license, as provided in Division 6 (commencing with Section 12500) of the Vehicle Code, issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles. (2) An endorsement for operating a passenger transportation vehicle, as provided in Article 6 (commencing with Section 15275) of Chapter 7 of Division 6 of the Vehicle Code, issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles. (b) (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), for purposes of this section, a “15-passenger van” means any van manufactured to accommodate 15 passengers, including the driver, regardless of whether that van has been altered to accommodate fewer than 15 passengers. (2) For purposes of this section, a “15-passenger van” does not mean a 15-passenger van with dual rear wheels that has a gross weight rating equal to, or greater than, 11,500 pounds. (c) The Legislature recommends that the Regents of the University of California adopt rules and regulations similar to the provisions contained in this section.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 10327. Section 10327.

Except for motor vehicles described in Section 43805 of the Health and Safety Code, the provisions of Article 1 (commencing with Section 43800) of Chapter 4 of Part 5 of Division 26 of the Health and Safety Code shall govern the acquisition of all motor vehicles by the state to the extent that the department determines that these low-emission vehicles are reasonable to meet state needs pursuant to Section 43804 of the Health and Safety Code.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 10328. Section 10328.

The bid requirements prescribed in this article are not applicable to contracts for the acquisition of the following: (a) Fluid milk and fluid cream, the price of which is established in accordance with Section 61871 of the Food and Agricultural Code. (b) Fruits and vegetables procured under contract with growers for the use of canneries maintained and operated by state agencies, if these canneries are maintained and operated so that their canned products will meet the standards prescribed for similar commercially packed canned products under federal law. (c) Agricultural surpluses that are available to the state or its agencies by any governmental agency.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 10329. Section 10329.

No person shall willfully split a single transaction into a series of transactions for the purpose of evading the bidding requirements of this article.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 10330. Section 10330.

On July 1 of each year, the department shall establish the minimum dollar level below which authority to acquire goods shall be delegated to state agencies that meet the requirements of Section 10333. The level established at eight hundred dollars ($800) on January 1, 1983, and adjusted on July 1, 1983, pursuant to former Section 14792.1 of the Government Code, shall be retained and adjusted each July 1 thereafter to reflect, at a minimum, the percentage change from April 1 of the prior year to April 1 of the current year in the California Consumer Price Index for all items, as determined by the California Department of Industrial Relations.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 10331. Section 10331.

The department shall establish a program for delegating authority to acquire goods to state agencies that meet the requirements of Section 10333. Each delegation shall be subject to annual review by the department. Delegated authority may be withdrawn at any time the department finds that the state agency to which authority has been delegated is not in compliance with the requirements of Section 10333.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 10332. Section 10332.

Any state agency that receives delegated authority to acquire goods shall be authorized, at a minimum, to make the following types of acquisitions: (a) Acquisitions not exceeding the dollar value established pursuant to Section 10330. (b) Acquisitions in any amount of goods available under an unexpired statewide or regional contract. Acquisitions of goods for which a valid statewide or regional contract is in effect may not be made, without the approval of the office, from a supplier other than the supplier with whom the state has a valid contract. (c) Acquisitions in any amount of goods that state agencies are required, by Section 2807 of the Penal Code, to acquire from the California Correctional Training and Rehabilitation Authority. (d) Acquisitions not exceeding the dollar amount, established pursuant to Section 10330, of goods designated in price schedules that the office has established with suppliers. Acquisitions not exceeding the dollar amount, established pursuant to Section 10330, of goods designated in price schedules may be made from a supplier other than the supplier specified on a price schedule if another supplier offers the same or equivalent goods at a price lower than the price established in the price schedule. The agency shall notify the office prior to making the acquisition. The acquisition may be made 48 hours after receipt of the notice by the office unless the office advises the agency that the goods to be acquired are not the same or equivalent to the goods specified on a price schedule. (e) Acquisitions not exceeding the dollar value, established pursuant to Section 10330, of goods that are available from the state warehouses but which the state agency can acquire from another supplier at a price lower than the price charged by the department. The agency shall notify the office prior to making the acquisition. The acquisition may be made 48 hours after receipt of the notice by the office unless the office advises the agency that the goods to be acquired are not the same or equivalent to the goods available from the state warehouses.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 10333. Section 10333.

(a) The department shall delegate purchasing authority, as specified in Section 10332, to any state agency that does all of the following: (1) Designates an agency officer as responsible and directly accountable for the agency’s purchasing program. (2) Establishes written policies and procedures, including procedures for ensuring and documenting competitive purchasing, complying with purchasing standards established pursuant to Section 10307, inspecting acquired products for compliance with specifications, reporting contractor failures to deliver products as specified in contracts, ensuring that agency contracting personnel are free from conflict of interest, and complying with other provisions of law as the department may require. (3) Establishes procedures for complying with the provisions of the Small Business Procurement and Contract Act (Chapter 6.5 (commencing with Section 14835) of Part 5.5 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code). The procedures shall include procedures for meeting the goals for the extent of participation of small businesses in state contracting as established by the department pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 14838 of the Government Code. (4) Establishes policies for training personnel in purchasing law and procedures, controlling and reviewing purchasing practices, auditing purchasing activities, and delegating purchasing authority within the agency. (5) Reports the data to the office that the department may require. (b) The department shall conduct an audit of each state agency to which purchasing authority has been delegated at least once in each three-year period. The authority to acquire goods may be withdrawn by the department at any time that the department finds that the state agency to which authority has been delegated is not in compliance with the requirements of this section. (c) The department shall maintain procedures for complying with the State Agency Buy Recycled Campaign (Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 12153)). The procedures shall include procedures for meeting the minimum recycled content requirements in state contracting as established by CalRecycle pursuant to Section 12209 and procedures for complying with reporting requirements as established by CalRecycle pursuant to Section 12211.

Cal. Public Contract Code - PCC § 10334. Section 10334.

(a) No state employee shall acquire any goods from the state, unless the goods are offered to the general public in the regular course of the state’s business on the same terms and conditions as those applicable to the employee. “State employee,” as used in this section, means any employee of the state included within Section 82009 of the Government Code, and all officers and employees included within Section 4 of Article VII of the California Constitution, except those persons excluded from the definition of “designated employee” under the last paragraph of Section 82019 of the Government Code. (b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), any peace officer as defined in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2 of the Penal Code, employed by the State of California for a period of more than 120 months who has been duly retired through a service retirement or a peace officer retiring from a job-incurred disability not related to a mental or emotional disorder and who has been granted the legal right to carry a concealed firearm pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with Section 25450) of Chapter 2 of Division 5 of Title 4 of Part 6 of the Penal Code may be authorized by the person’s department head to purchase his or her state-issued handgun. Disability retired peace officers need not meet the 120-month employment requirement. The cost of the handgun shall be the fair market value as listed in the annual Blue Book of Gun Values or replacement cost, whichever is less, of the handgun issued as determined by the appointing power, plus a charge for the cost of handling. The retiring officer shall request to purchase his or her handgun in writing to the department within 30 calendar days of his or her retirement date. (c) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), any peace officer described in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2 of the Penal Code employed by the State of California who is authorized to carry firearms may purchase his or her state-issued service firearm if the person’s department head directs the department to change its state-issued service weapon system. The cost of the service firearm shall be the fair market value as listed in the annual Blue Book of Gun Values or replacement cost, whichever is less, of the firearm issued as determined by the department head, plus a charge for the cost of handling. The requesting officer shall request to purchase his or her firearm in writing to the department within 10 calendar days of receiving the new state-issued weapon. (d) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), the spouse or domestic partner of a peace officer as defined in Chapter 4.5 (commencing with Section 830) of Title 3 of Part 2 of the Penal Code who was employed by the State of California and who died in the line of duty, may be authorized by his or her spouse’s or domestic partner’s department head to purchase his or her state-issued handgun. The cost of the handgun shall be the fair market value of the handgun as listed in the annual Blue Book of Gun Values or replacement cost, whichever is less, as determined by the appointing power, plus a charge for the cost of handling. The spouse or domestic partner shall request to purchase the handgun in writing to the department within 30 calendar days of his or her spouse’s or domestic partner’s death. A sale of a firearm pursuant to this subdivision shall be made pursuant to Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 28050) of Division 6 of Title 4 of Part 6 of the Penal Code, as required by Section 27545 of the Penal Code.
Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026

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