Authorizes public authorities and public benefit corporations to negotiate with professional firms providing architectural or engineering services in order from the most qualified to the least qualified with regard to the provision of services to the authority or corporation.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
4475--A
2015-2016 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
March 23, 2015
___________
Introduced by Sens. DeFRANCISCO, AMEDORE, VALESKY -- read twice and
ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on
Corporations, Authorities and Commissions -- recommitted to the
Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions in accordance
with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill amended,
ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the public authorities law, in relation to requiring
public authorities and public benefit corporations to negotiate with
professional firms providing architectural or engineering services in
order from the most qualified to the least qualified with regard to
the provision of services to the authority or corporation
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subparagraph (iv) of paragraph (b) of subdivision 3 of
2 section 2879 of the public authorities law, as amended by chapter 383 of
3 the laws of 1994, is amended to read as follows:
4 (iv) as used in this subparagraph, the term "professional firm" shall
5 be defined as any individual or sole proprietorship, partnership, corpo-
6 ration, association, or other legal entity permitted by law to practice
7 the professions of architecture, engineering or surveying.
8 It is the policy of New York state to negotiate contracts for archi-
9 tectural and/or engineering services and/or surveying services on the
10 basis of demonstrated competence and qualification for the type of
11 professional services required and at fair and reasonable fees.
12 In the procurement of architectural, engineering and surveying
13 services, the corporation is required to encourage professional firms
14 engaged in the lawful practice of the profession to submit an annual
15 statement of qualifications and performance data. The corporation for
16 each proposed project is required to evaluate current statements of
17 qualifications and performance data on file with the corporation. If
18 desired, the corporation may conduct discussions with three or more
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09702-02-6
S. 4475--A 2
1 professional firms regarding anticipated design concepts and proposed
2 methods of approach to the assignment. The corporation is required to
3 select, in order of preference, based upon criteria established by the
4 corporation, no less than three professional firms deemed to be the most
5 highly qualified to provide the services required.
6 Every corporation is required to negotiate a contract with the highest
7 qualified professional firm for architectural and/or engineering
8 services and/or surveying services at compensation which the corporation
9 determines in writing to be fair and reasonable to such corporation. In
10 making this decision, the corporation is required to take into account
11 the estimated value of the services to be rendered, including the costs,
12 the scope, complexity and professional nature thereof.
13 The corporation shall not refuse to negotiate with a professional firm
14 solely because the ratio of the "allowable indirect costs" to direct
15 labor costs of the professional firm or the hourly labor rate in any
16 labor category of the professional firm exceeds a limitation generally
17 set by the corporation in the determination of the reasonableness of the
18 estimated cost of services to be rendered by the professional firm, but
19 rather the corporation should also consider the reasonableness of cost
20 based on the total estimated cost of the service of the professional
21 firm which should include, among other things, all the direct labor
22 costs of the professional firm for such services plus all "allowable
23 indirect costs," other direct costs, and negotiated profit of the
24 professional firm. "Allowable indirect costs" of a professional firm are
25 defined as those costs generally associated with overhead which cannot
26 be specifically identified with a single project or contract and are
27 considered reasonable and allowable under specific state contract or
28 allowability limits. Should the corporation choose to engage in a qual-
29 ification based procurement and be unable to negotiate a satisfactory
30 contract with the professional firm considered to be the most qualified,
31 at a fee the corporation determines to be fair and reasonable to the
32 corporation, negotiations with that professional firm shall be formally
33 terminated. The corporation shall then undertake negotiations with the
34 second most qualified professional firm. Failing accord with the second
35 most qualified professional firm, the corporation shall formally termi-
36 nate negotiations. The corporation shall then undertake negotiations
37 with the third most qualified professional firm. Should the corporation
38 be unable to negotiate a satisfactory contract with any of the selected
39 professional firms, it shall select additional professional firms in
40 order of their competence and qualifications and it shall continue nego-
41 tiations in accordance with this section until an agreement is reached.
42 The provisions of this subparagraph shall only apply to engineering
43 and/or architectural services and/or surveying services in excess of
44 twenty-five thousand dollars and shall not apply to the metropolitan
45 transportation authority, the New York city transit authority or the
46 Triborough bridge and tunnel authority or to any of their subsidiaries.
47 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.