(a)        Notwithstanding N.C. Gen. Stat. § 143-341(3) and N.C. Gen. Stat. § 143-135.1, the Board shall, with respect to the design, construction, or renovation of buildings, utilities, and other property developments of The University of North Carolina requiring the estimated expenditure of public money of four million dollars ($4,000,000) or less:

(1)        Conduct the fee negotiations for all design contracts and supervise the letting of all construction and design contracts.

(2)        Develop procedures governing the responsibilities of The University of North Carolina and its affiliated and constituent institutions to perform the duties of the Department of Administration and the Director or Office of State Construction under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 133-1.1(d) and N.C. Gen. Stat. § 143-341(3).

(3)        Develop procedures and reasonable limitations governing the use of open-end design agreements, subject to N.C. Gen. Stat. § 143-64.34 and the approval of the State Building Commission.

(4)        Use existing plans and specifications for construction projects, where feasible. Prior to designing a project, the Board shall consult with the Department of Administration on the availability of existing plans and specifications and the feasibility of using them for a project.

(b)        The Board may delegate its authority under subsection (a) of this section to a constituent or affiliated institution if the institution is qualified under guidelines adopted by the Board and approved by the State Building Commission and the Director of the Budget.

(c)        The University shall use the standard contracts for design and construction currently in use for State capital improvement projects by the Office of State Construction of the Department of Administration.

(d)       A contract may not be divided for the purpose of evading the monetary limit under this section.

(e)        Notwithstanding any other provision of this Chapter, the Department of Administration shall not be the awarding authority for contracts awarded pursuant to this section.

(f)        The Board of Governors shall annually report to the State Building Commission the following:

(1)        A list of projects governed by this section.

(2)        The estimated cost of each project along with the actual cost.

(3)        The name of each person awarded a contract under this section.

(4)        Whether the person or business awarded a contract under this section meets the definition of “minority business” or “minority person” as defined in N.C. Gen. Stat. § 143-128.2(g). ?(1997-412, s. 1; 2001-496, s. 8(a); 2005-300, ss. 1, 2; 2006-217, s. 2; 2022-74, s. 40.9(a).)

Terms Used In North Carolina General Statutes 116-31.11

  • Board: means the Board of Governors of the University of North Carolina. See North Carolina General Statutes 116-2
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • following: when used by way of reference to any section of a statute, shall be construed to mean the section next preceding or next following that in which such reference is made; unless when some other section is expressly designated in such reference. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
  • institution: means one of the 16 public institutions of higher education, to wit, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University at Raleigh, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, the University of North Carolina at Asheville, the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Appalachian State University, East Carolina University, Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, North Carolina Central University, North Carolina School of the Arts, redesignated effective August 1, 2008, as the "University of North Carolina School of the Arts" Pembroke State University, redesignated effective July 1, 1996, as the "University of North Carolina at Pembroke" Western Carolina University, and Winston-Salem State University, and the constituent high school, the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics. See North Carolina General Statutes 116-2
  • property: shall include all property, both real and personal. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories, so called; and the words "United States" shall be construed to include the said district and territories and all dependencies. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3