521#2s (VDOT) Procurement by VDOT. SB29 - Committee Approved

State Budget

2002 Session

Budget Amendments - SB29 (Committee Approved)

Bill Order » Item 521 #2s

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Procurement by VDOT (language only)

Item 521 #2s

Item 521 #2s
Transportation
Transportation, Department of

Language
Page 413, line 57, after "I" insert "(a)".
Page 414, after line 6, insert:
"(b). The Department shall also procure professional services, as defined in §11-37, Code of Virginia, in accordance with the Virginia Public Procurement Act (§11-35 et seq.). However, when professional services are needed, VDOT shall prepare, prior to the receipt of the Request for Proposals, an estimate of the cost of the services required. These estimates shall be utilized in the course of negotiations to arrive at a fair and reasonable price for the contract. Negotiations with the offerors deemed to be fully qualified and experienced, in the order of preference, may be conducted until a contract that offers the best value to the Commonwealth is awarded.
(c). The Department shall complete a review of its existing list of materials approved for use in construction and maintenance of Virginia roadways by August 15, 2002, to identify those types, classes or grades where more materials might be added to the list and provide the justification for its sole source providers to the Secretary of Transportation for transmittal to the Governor."

Explanation
(This amendment allows VDOT to negotiate professional service contracts and to review its existing list of materials to ensure that the best value for the Commonwealth is obtained, particularly in the current period of revenue and cash shortfalls.)

Item 521

Item 521 (Not set out)	First Year - FY2001	Second Year - FY2002
Administrative and Support Services (61900)	$105,359,500	$108,328,300
General Management and Direction (61901)	FY2001 $56,570,200	FY2002 $58,539,000
Computer Services (61902)	FY2001 $38,965,400	FY2002 $39,751,900
Physical Plant Services (61915)	FY2001 $9,823,900	FY2002 $10,037,400
Fund Sources:
Commonwealth Transportation	FY2001 $105,359,500	FY2002 $108,328,300

Authority: Title 33.1, Code of Virginia.

A. Out of the amounts for General Management and Direction shall be provided $652,800 the first year and $652,800 the second year from the Transportation Trust Fund to the Commonwealth Transportation Board for the management of the Transportation Trust Fund.

B. The Governor is hereby authorized to increase the maximum position level for the Department of Transportation for additional staff in all construction districts. The additional staff shall be responsible for maintenance, highway construction, and other transportation programs. By November 1, 2000, the Commissioner shall report on the allocation of the additional staff by function and district to the Governor and the Chairmen of the Senate Finance Committee and House Appropriations Committee, with specific information included on the impact on the maintenance program.

C. The Department of Transportation shall review its policies regarding placement of underground utilities within the public rights-of-way. The Department shall develop procedures that will minimize disruption to traffic and surrounding property and the cost of future highway maintenance. The Department shall report to the Chairmen of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees by November 1, 2000, on the status of its review.

D. The Department of Transportation shall review the formulas used in determining the financial assistance to localities distributions and make recommendations to the Commonwealth Transportation Board as to the appropriate allocations based on that review.

E. It is the intent of the General Assembly that the Department of Transportation shall address the technology issues identified in the Auditor of Public Account's Report on Audit for the Year Ended June 30, 1999, prior to enhancing its computing capacity.

F. The Commonwealth Transportation Board shall not allocate additional funding to the administration and operations of the Department of Transportation in its annual update of the Six-Year Financial Plan. For fiscal year 2001, all proposed appropriation or allocation adjustments decreasing the funding available to the highway construction program shall be approved by the General Assembly at the 2001 General Assembly Session prior to their implementation.

G. The Department of Transportation and the State Council of Higher Education shall develop a scholarship program for engineering students attending Virginia higher education institutions. By the 2001 Session of the General Assembly, the Commissioner shall report to the Governor and the Chairmen of the House Appropriations Committee and Senate Finance Committee on the criteria for selection, employment requirements, and scholarship amounts and funding levels for such a program. It is the intent of the General Assembly that no more than $200,000 shall be allocated to such a program in fiscal year 2002. Each scholarship shall not exceed the amount of $3,500 per semester.

H. The Comptroller shall deposit into the Priority Transportation Fund, ~~contingent upon the passage of Senate Bill 33/House Bill 608 and as such bill becomes law~~ pursuant to Chapters 1019 and 1044, Acts of Assembly of 2000, an amount estimated at $12,700,000 the first year and $11,700,000 the second year in savings as described in Item 541 and Item 566 of this Act. Such transfer shall occur by January 1 of each year.

I. The Virginia Department of Transportation shall fully develop and implement a system for purchasing goods and services and utilize reverse bidding in its acquisition of road materials and commodities, and for other purchasing and contracting where applicable, via electronic procurement under rules promulgated by the Virginia Department of General Services.

J. Within the External Audit Division, the Department of Transportation shall create a construction audit function to review construction projects for contract compliance. Alternatively, the agency may, after performing a cost benefit analysis, contract out for these services. This function will be funded from savings generated through its activities, with other recoveries reverting to the Transportation Trust Fund.

K. As provided in § 2.2-1124, Code of Virginia, the Virginia Department of Transportation is authorized to donate and transfer permanent ownership of a circa 1861 Civil War cannon, described as a "caliber 3.3 muzzle, Model 1861 bronze Clarke rifle", to the Confederate Memorial Literary Society (The Museum of the Confederacy).