HB471 Alabama 2017 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

David StandridgeRepresentative

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2017

Title

Competitive Bid law, purchase and installation of heating and air conditioning units for local boards of education, exempted when bid pursuant to purchasing cooperative and process approved by Dept. of Examiners of Public Accounts, Secs. 39-1-5, 39-2-2 am'd.

Summary

HB471 creates an exception to Alabama’s public works bidding rules, allowing counties, municipalities, and local boards of education to buy and install heating or air conditioning units through NACo/NLC purchasing cooperatives if the bid process is approved by the Department of Examiners of Public Accounts.

What This Bill Does

If passed, the bill lets local governments and school districts contract for HVAC purchase and installation through a cooperative bidding process instead of standard public works bidding, but only when the cooperative bid is competitively bid and the process is approved by the Department of Examiners of Public Accounts. The purchase must be carried out by an Alabama vendor with approved vendor status, and the cooperative bid must be at least as good as the state purchasing program (or not available from the state program). The approving authority and DEPA must confirm that the cooperative bid complies with state bidding laws.

Who It Affects

• County governments (procurement decisions for HVAC purchases) who may use cooperative bidding under DEPA approval
• Municipal governments (city-level procurement for HVAC) under DEPA-approved cooperative bidding
• Local boards of education (school districts) engaging in HVAC purchases via the cooperative bid process
• Alabama vendors with approved vendor status for sale and installation of HVAC units/systems who participate in the purchasing cooperative

Key Provisions

• Adds an exception to the public works bidding requirements for contracts to purchase and install heating or air conditioning units/systems when bid through the NACo/NLC purchasing cooperative (or successors) and the process is approved by the Department of Examiners of Public Accounts.
• Requires the cooperative bid process to be competitively bid and conducted by a county or municipality, with approval from DEPA, and for the vendor to be an Alabama-approved vendor for HVAC sale and installation.
• Makes the cooperative purchase eligible only if the HVAC unit/system is available through the cooperative bid or if the cooperative price is equal to or less than the price available through the state purchasing program, and if DEPA confirms compliance with state competitive bid laws.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Competitive Bids