(a) Notwithstanding the advertising, bidding, and protest provisions of Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 14825) of this part and Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 10290) and Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 12100) of Part 2 of Division 2 of the Public Contract Code, a state agency may award a contract for the acquisition of goods, services, or information technology that has an estimated value of greater than five thousand dollars ($5,000), but less than two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000), to a certified small business, including a microbusiness, or to a disabled veteran business enterprise, as long as the agency obtains price quotations from two or more certified small businesses, including microbusinesses, or from two or more disabled veterans business enterprises.

(b) In carrying out subdivision (a), a state agency shall consider a responsive offer timely received from a responsible certified small business, including a microbusiness, or from a disabled veteran business enterprise.

Terms Used In California Government Code 14838.5

  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Director: means the Director of General Services. See California Government Code 14837
  • Disabled veteran business enterprise: means an enterprise that has been certified as meeting the qualifications established by paragraph (7) of subdivision (b) of §. See California Government Code 14837
  • Microbusiness: is a small business which, together with affiliates, has average annual gross receipts of two million five hundred thousand dollars ($2,500,000) or less over the previous three years, or is a manufacturer, as defined in subdivision (c), with 25 or fewer employees. See California Government Code 14837
  • Small business: means an independently owned and operated business that is not dominant in its field of operation, the principal office of which is located in California, the officers of which are domiciled in California, and which, together with affiliates, has 100 or fewer employees, and average annual gross receipts of ten million dollars ($10,000,000) or less over the previous three years, or is a manufacturer, as defined in subdivision (c), with 100 or fewer employees. See California Government Code 14837
  • State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Government Code 18
  • state agency: includes every state office, officer, department, division, bureau, board, and commission. See California Government Code 11000
  • Subdivision: means a subdivision of the section in which the term occurs unless some other section is expressly mentioned. See California Government Code 10

(c) If the estimated cost to the state is less than five thousand dollars ($5,000) for the acquisition of goods, services, or information technology, or a greater amount as administratively established by the director, a state agency shall obtain at least two price quotations from responsible suppliers whenever there is reason to believe a response from a single source is not a fair and reasonable price.

(Amended by Stats. 2009, Ch. 212, Sec. 1. (AB 31) Effective January 1, 2010.)