(a) Notwithstanding any other law, the Department of General Services may, relative to contracts for goods, services, information technology, and telecommunications, use a negotiation process if the department finds that one or more of the following conditions exist:

(1) The business need or purpose of a procurement or contract can be further defined as a result of a negotiation process.

(2) The business need or purpose of a procurement or contract is known by the department, but a negotiation process may identify different types of solutions to fulfill this business need or purpose.

(3) The complexity of the purpose or need suggests a bidder’s costs to prepare and develop a solicitation response are extremely high.

(4) The business need or purpose of a procurement or contract is known by the department, but negotiation is necessary to ensure that the department is receiving the best value or the most cost-efficient goods, services, information technology, and telecommunications.

(b) When it is in the best interests of the state, the department may negotiate amendments to the terms and conditions, including scope of work, of existing contracts for goods, services, information technology, and telecommunications, whether or not the original contract was the result of competition, on behalf of itself or another state agency.

(c) (1) The department shall establish the procedures and guidelines for the negotiation process described in subdivision (a). Those procedures and guidelines shall include, but not be limited to, a clear description of the methodology that will be used by the department to evaluate a bid for the procurement of goods, services, information technology, and telecommunications.

(2) The procedures and guidelines described in paragraph (1) may include provisions that authorize the department to receive supplemental bids after the initial bids are opened. If the procedures and guidelines include these provisions, the procedures and guidelines shall specify the conditions under which supplemental bids may be received by the department.

(d) An unsuccessful bidder shall have no right to protest the results of the negotiating process undertaken pursuant to this section. As a remedy, an unsuccessful bidder may file a petition for a writ of mandate in accordance with Section 1085 of the Code of Civil Procedure. The venue for the petition for a writ of mandate shall be Sacramento, California. An action filed pursuant to this subdivision shall be given preference by the court.

(e) (1) The Department of Technology may utilize the negotiation process described in subdivisions (a) and (b) for the purpose of procuring information technology and telecommunications goods and services on behalf of state departments and information technology projects.

(2) Nothing in this section shall be interpreted to supersede the department’s existing statutory control over procurement processes as dictated in Section 12100.

(f) On or before January 1, 2013, and annually thereafter, the Department of Technology shall report to the relevant budget subcommittees of each house of the Legislature on the use of subdivision (e) during budget hearings.

(Amended by Stats. 2018, Ch. 335, Sec. 2. (SB 1505) Effective January 1, 2019.)