Under California law, a prime contractor must file a payment slip for all state public works over $5,000 and for all other public works over $25,000. The public body awarding the contract must approve the security before the work begins. Until the publication of the obligation, the public institution is not authorized to pay the general contractor. A responsible bidder must generally be a licensed contractor who has not been excluded from government contracts due to previous misconduct. In addition, a responsible bidder must have the necessary equipment and skills to carry out the work in question or have a subcontractor who has those particular skills. If the bidder is not considered responsible because it does not meet the above criteria, the public sector body is not required to award the contract to the lowest bidder. The public authority may specify the required license, and if the contractor does not have such a license, he will be disqualified. Public works cover porch work, including surveying and site preparation. The purpose of this article was to limit the authority of the districts and not to grant them immunity from their own violations. However, failure to ensure access to the site or to provide adequate plans or specifications would not be subject to any limitation of the damages that a contractor may suffer as a result of the termination of a contractual relationship for a project once it is established.
(2) Carpentry, electricity, plumbing, glazing, [repair paint] and other handicrafts intended to maintain the public or public facility in a safe, efficient and permanently usable condition for which it was intended, including repairs, cleaning and other work on machinery and other equipment firmly attached to the building or property as accessories. If the prime contractor relies on the subcontractor`s offer, he or she will list the subcontractor in accordance with the laws listing the subcontractor. Thus, the courts have held that if the prime contractor`s offer is accepted by the public body and the subcontractor appearing refuses to enter into a subcontract, the prime contractor can recover the difference between this offer and the cost of performing the work from the recalcitrant subcontractor. The courts have relied on a concept called Promissory Estoppel. (See Drinnan v Star Paving (1958) 51 Cal 2nd 409) The Public Procurement Code `4105 stipulates that the registration of other contractors, who in turn sublease parts that constitute the major part of the main contractual work, constitutes a violation of the Public Procurement Code `4104 and subjects the prime contractor to the sanctions provided for by law. The Public Procurement Code `4106 stipulates that if a supervisor does not appoint a subcontractor when necessary, the supervisor accepts that he is fully qualified to perform this part himself and that he will actually perform this part of the works. The question that may arise is whether the general contractor has the appropriate licence to perform this work. For example, sprinkler work can only be carried out by a contractor with such a special license.
Therefore, if a general contractor does not have a sprinkler licence, they must register a duly authorized subcontractor. If such a special subcontractor is not listed, the offer may be contested. Long ago, California passed laws to eliminate corruption, maintain the good value of private companies, and advance other important civil society causes. Historically, this has been achieved through the long-established policy of awarding public projects to the lowest “responsible” bidder. There are more and more exceptions to this historical rule of public command. An overview of the Public Procurement Code is divided into three sections and the content of the section is explained and reviewed. The practical impact of other California codes and U.S. federal law on state and local public works will be evaluated and discussed.
Every utility project in California is unique. To complicate matters further, the majority of public institutions in California have separate rules for construction projects. The wording of an “or equal” clause varies from one set of specifications to another. However, the California legislature has codified what should be included in such clauses. By adopting the article of the code, which concerns the clauses “or the same”, the legislator wanted to ensure that projects were subject to competitive calls for tenders. This article discusses the requirements and deviations of these replacement clauses. Many sections of the Public Procurement Act deal with various aspects of the construction of public works by certain transit, utility and other districts.129 It is recommended that the individual requirements of each district be examined in depth. The California Government Code requires that the public authority be formally notified in writing within certain time limits. In general, these periods can range from six months to one year after the facts giving rise to the complaint. These requirements are known as the Tort Claims Act. While the title refers to torts, which are illegal acts for which there may be civil liability that is not based on a contractual relationship, the courts have required that the termination provisions be complied with even if there is a claim for breach of contract. If the prime contractor challenges the validity of one or all of the requests for a notice of stop, it may use two procedures to attempt to release the retained funds quickly.
Maintenance. Includes: (1) routine, recurrent and customary work to maintain, protect and maintain a public or public facility (plant, building, structure, ground installation, utility system or real property) for its intended purpose in a safe and permanently usable condition for which it was designed, improved, constructed, modified or repaired. Public authorities may exclude certain contractors from the submission of tenders on the basis of previous court hearings if the excluded contractor is found to be irresponsible. Hearings must give the contractor due process rights. Public procurement cannot require contractors to be liable for the cost of repairing damage to a project that represents more than 5% of the contract amount if the damage was caused by force majeure. Such a requirement is called a “force majeure” clause. The term “act of God” is very broad and difficult to define. Two obvious examples are extreme weather and earthquakes. However, what one party considers to be a case of force majeure may not apply to another party.138 Although design-build techniques, multiple master contracts, performance specifications, force counting and other contractual methods are permitted for special circumstances; These techniques are still exceptions to the rule. However, over the past two decades, the California State Legislature has passed numerous special laws that provide exceptions to the lowest responsible bidder rule.
One of the most important exceptions to the rule, the design-build approach, is explained in section 8.5 above. Under California law, a “claim” includes any request or demand for money, goods, or services made to an employee, officer, or representative of the state or political subdivision, or to a contractor, fellow, or other beneficiary, whether or not under contract, if any portion of the money, goods or services requested is requested or requested by or by state (“sovereign wealth funds”) or by a political subdivision thereof (“political subdivision funds”). It should be noted that the presentation of the false allegation does not necessarily have to be made with the specific intention of defrauding the public body. However, the misrepresentation must be made by the applicant who actually knows that the information is false; acts in “wilful ignorance of the truth or falsity of the information” or “acts in reckless disregard for the truth or lie of the information.” The Public Procurement Code §107 requires any public entity or an initial contractor to pay the withholding within certain deadlines. The public entity must pay the original contractor within sixty (60) days of completion. The original contractor must pay the subcontractors within ten (10) days of receipt of the funds by the original contractor. However, a contractor or public entity may charge up to 150% of the disputed amount if a dispute arises in good faith. If the funds are not paid on time, there is a penalty of two percent (2%) per month instead of interest and attorneys` fees and expenses are given to the winning party. First, the public body may, at its discretion, allow the contractor to post an appropriate security in order to obtain the release of the amounts withheld. The bond must be issued by a company guarantee and up to 125% (125%) of the claim specified in the notice of judgment. The filing must provide that when the plaintiff recovers definitively, he may also recover the costs of bringing the action.
Third, the notice must be delivered by first class mail, registered mail or registered mail to the contractor or his subcontractor, either at his place of residence, or at a place where he has an office, or by personal service. It must also be submitted to the department for which the work is being done. In the case of public works prepared by the Department of Public Works or the Department of General Services, the Department shall be served by the office of the paying official of the Department who constructs the works or by a personal service to the staff member […].