Notwithstanding any other provisions of the North Dakota Century Code, the governing bodies of the political subdivisions of the state of North Dakota shall accept only sealed bids, whenever by law or administrative decision they are required to call for, advertise, or solicit bids for the purchase of personal property and equipment. Whenever a political subdivision of this state calls for, advertises, or solicits sealed bids, it shall designate a time and place for the opening of such bids. If all of the bids are not rejected, the purchase must be made from the bidder submitting the lowest and best bid meeting or exceeding the specifications set out in the invitation for bids. In the event that two or more bids contain identical pricing or receive identical evaluation scores, preference must be given to bids submitted by North Dakota vendors.