Sec. 262.0295.  ALTERNATIVE MULTISTEP COMPETITIVE PROPOSAL PROCEDURE.  (a)  (1) If the county official who makes purchases for the county determines that it is impractical to prepare detailed specifications for an item to support the award of a purchase contract, the official shall notify the commissioners court of such determination.
(2)  Upon a finding by the commissioners court that it is impractical to prepare detailed specifications for an item to support the award of a purchase contract, after a notification of such determination by the county official who makes purchases for the county, the county official who makes purchases for the county may use the multistep competitive proposal procedure provided by this section.
(3)  Repealed by Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 285, Sec. 24, eff. September 1, 2011.
(b)  Quotations must be solicited through a request for proposals.  Public notice for the request for proposals must be made in the same manner as provided in the competitive bidding procedure, except that the notice may include a general description of the item to be purchased, instead of the specifications describing the item or a statement of where the specifications may be obtained, and may request the submission of unpriced proposals.
(c)  On the date specified in the notice, the county official shall open the proposals and, within seven days after that date, solicit by mailed request priced bids from the persons who submitted proposals and who qualified under the criteria stated in the first solicitation.
(d)  Within 30 days after the date the unpriced proposals are opened under Subsection (c), the county official shall present the priced bids to the commissioners court.  The award of the contract shall be made to the responsible offeror whose bid is determined to be the lowest and best evaluated offer resulting from negotiation.  All proposals and bids that have been submitted shall be available and open for public inspection after the contract is awarded.
(e)  As provided in the request for proposals and under rules adopted by the commissioners court, discussion may be conducted with responsible offerors who submit priced bids determined to be reasonably susceptible of being selected for award.  Offerors must be accorded fair and equal treatment with respect to any opportunity for discussion and revision of proposals, and revisions may be permitted after submission and before award for the purpose of obtaining best and final offers.
Added by Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 1250, Sec. 10, eff. Sept. 1, 1989.
Amended by: 
Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 285 (H.B. 1694), Sec. 13, eff. September 1, 2011.
Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 285 (H.B. 1694), Sec. 24, eff. September 1, 2011.