(a) Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, all departments and agencies making purchases of goods, including agricultural products, shall give preference to those produced or grown in this state or offered by Tennessee respondents as follows:
Terms Used In Tennessee Code 12-3-1113
Goods: means all personal property, including, but not limited to, supplies, equipment, materials, printing, and insurance. See Tennessee Code 12-3-201
Respondent: includes a "bidder" or "proposer" that is a natural person or legal entity that has properly registered as required by the state. See Tennessee Code 12-3-201
Services: means all services and agreements obligating the state, except services for highway and road improvements governed by title 54 and design and construction services governed by title 4, chapter 15. See Tennessee Code 12-3-201
State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
United States: includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
(1)Goods produced in this state or offered by Tennessee respondents shall be given equal preference if the cost to the state and quality are equal; and(2) Agricultural products grown in this state shall be given first preference and agricultural products offered by Tennessee respondents shall be given second preference, if the cost to the state and quality are equal.(b) If goods, including agricultural products, produced or grown in this state or offered by Tennessee respondents are not equal in cost and quality to other products, then goods, including agricultural products, produced or grown in other states of the United States shall be given preference over foreign products if the cost to the state and quality are equal.(c) As used in this section:
(1) “Agricultural products” includes textiles and other similar products; and(2) “Tennessee respondents” means a business:
(A) Incorporated in this state;(B) That has its principal place of business in this state; or(C) That has an established physical presence in this state.(d) The commission and all state agencies making purchases of vegetation for landscaping purposes, including plants, shall give preference to Tennessee vegetation native to the region if the cost to the state is not greater and the quality is not inferior.(e) All departments and agencies procuring services shall give preference to services offered by a Tennessee respondent if:
(1) The services meet state requirements regarding the service to be performed and expected quality; and(2) The cost of the service does not exceed the cost of other similar services of similar expected quality that are not offered by a Tennessee respondent.
