HB333 Alabama 2020 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Debbie Wood

Republican

Session

Regular Session 2020

Title

Public contracts, contracts for heating and air conditioning systems, exemption further provided, Sec. 39-2-2 am'd.

Summary

HB333 would expand the public-works bidding exemption for heating and air conditioning purchases to any government entity that uses a DEPA-approved competitive bid process.

What This Bill Does

Under current law, public works contracts over $50,000 must be bid, and heating/AC purchases are exempt only for certain local governments using a DEPA-approved bid process. This bill extends that exemption to any governmental entity that uses a DEPA-approved competitive bidding process. As a result, those entities could buy heating or cooling units without following public-works bidding rules, provided they use the approved bidding process. The exemption is limited to the heating/AC purchases and does not override other parts of public-works requirements for the project as a whole.

Who It Affects

• State, county, city, and other governmental entities in Alabama that purchase heating or air conditioning units or systems and use a DEPA-approved competitive bid process.
• Vendors and suppliers of heating and air conditioning units or systems who participate in DEPA-approved competitive bidding processes with governmental entities.

Key Provisions

• Amends Section 39-2-2 to provide an exemption from public works bidding requirements for the purchase of heating or air conditioning units or systems by any governmental entity that uses a competitive bid process approved by the Department of Examiners of Public Accounts.
• Maintains the general public works bidding framework for contracts over $50,000, including required advertisement and bid procedures, for all other aspects of public works not covered by the new exemption.
• Defines that the heating/AC purchase exemption applies specifically to the purchase itself and does not exempt any public works project from remaining bidding or compliance requirements, including design, review, codes, and engineer/architect compensation.
• Effective date: the act becomes law on the first day of the third month after passage and approval by the Governor.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 22, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Public Contracts