Purchasing, Construction, Property Transactions
Contracts: Purchasing, Construction, Property Transactions
Low Bidder Limbo: When the Low Bid Is Too Low
You’ve just received bids on a construction project estimated (by your engineer) to cost about $2 million. The lowest bid is for $1.5 million, and the next highest bid is $1.9 million, with the other bids ranging from $2.1 million to $2.3 million. After reviewing the bids, you think the lowest bidder must have... »
Federal Grants and Codes of Conduct
As I mentioned in my post last week, the Grants Management Common Rule (which applies to all federal grants) requires entities that receive federal grants to establish a “code of conduct.” This post will address what the Rule says about what the code of conduct must include. »
Signing Minutes and Ordinances
We occasionally get phone calls from local government officials who are concerned that the mayor – or in the case of a county, the chair of the board of commissioners – has not signed an ordinance or has not signed the minutes of the meeting. In one instance the ordinance had been adopted several... »
Protests and ARRA and Bears, Oh My!
Now that local governments are digging in to the requirements that apply to American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grants, I’ve started to get questions about developing bid protest procedures. Are these procedures required? If so, what should the procedures look like? And where can I find a sample bid protest procedure? »
“Approved as to Form”
I sometimes get questions about the ubiquitous “approved as to form,” which appears on official documents, signed by the local government attorney. Is this just typical boilerplate, or is it a legal requirement for a contract, ordinance, or other official document? And what exactly does it mean when the attorney approves something as to... »
Prequalification: Good, bad, or indifferent?
Your local government is planning a major construction project, and the engineering firm working with you on the project has strongly recommended prequalifying contractors before bidding. The engineer tells you that this will ensure that the bids you receive are only from serious, qualified bidders, making the bidding process more efficient. This sounds appealing... »
Contracting Without a License? Beware.
You’ve just received bids on a construction project costing $50,000, and discovered that the lowest bidder is not a licensed general contractor. When you bring this to the bidder’s attention, she tells you that she will be licensed by the time the project is scheduled to start. Can you accept her bid? »
Before You Start Recycling Your Bid Files, Read This!
Your local government has just awarded a contract. Now what are you supposed to do with all of the bids, bid tabulations, paperwork, and email generated by the bidding process? Can you throw any of it away? Do you have to keep any of it, and, if so, for how long? »
Help Us Improve Coates’ Canons Local Government Law Blog
Dear Coates’ Canons Readers, We want to thank you for the valuable feedback that several of you have provided to us about the Coates’ Canons Local Government Law blog. This is a new venture for most of us at the School of Government, and we appreciate your patience as we continue to refine the process... »
Stimulus Funding Webinar and Website
The School of Government now has free online resources to help you meet the reporting and compliance requirements that come with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding. If your local government has received ARRA funding, I strongly encourage you to take a look at these resources before October 1st (yes, that’s this Thursday),... »
Local Government in North Carolina, 3rd Edition, 2009
Local Government Law Bulletins