Section 4420 Of Chapter 6. Unfair And Coercive Insurance Requirements From California Government Code >> Division 5. >> Title 1. >> Chapter 6.
4420
. (a) No state or local governmental agency and no person
acting on behalf of any state or local governmental agency, except a
governmental agency created pursuant to agreement or compact with
another state, shall, with respect to any public building or
construction contract that is about to be or that has been
competitively bid, require the bidder to make application to, furnish
financial data to, or obtain or procure any surety bond or contract
of insurance specified in connection with the contract or specified
by any law, ordinance, or regulation from, a particular surety or
insurance company, agent, or broker.
(b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), a state or local governmental
agency may use owner-controlled or wrap-up insurance with regard to
a construction or renovation program for which the total cost exceeds
fifty million dollars ($50,000,000) if the agency meets all of the
following conditions and certifies that it has made the following
determinations:
(1) Prospective bidders, including contractors and subcontractors,
meet minimum occupational safety and health qualifications
established to bid on the project. The evaluation of prospective
bidders shall be based on consideration of the following factors:
(A) Serious and willful violations of Part 1 (commencing with
Section 6300) of Division 5 of the Labor Code, by a contractor or
subcontractor during the past five-year period.
(B) The contractor's or subcontractor's workers' compensation
experience modification factor.
(C) A contractor's or subcontractor's injury prevention program
instituted pursuant to Section 3201.5 or 6401.7 of the Labor Code.
(2) The use of owner-controlled or wrap-up insurance will minimize
the expenditure of public funds on the project in conjunction with
the exercise of appropriate risk management.
(3) The program maintains completed operation coverage for a term
for which the Insurance Commissioner has determined that coverage is
reasonably commercially available, but in no event less than three
years.
(4) Bid specifications clearly specify for all bidders the
insurance coverage provided under the program and minimum safety
requirements that must be met.
(5) The program does not prohibit a contractor or subcontractor
from purchasing any additional insurance coverage that a contractor
or subcontractor believes is necessary to protect from any liability
arising out of the contract.
(6) The program does not include surety insurance.
(c) Safety requirements for a project subject to this section may
be developed jointly between the agency and the prime contractor. If
the agency requires a safety program different than the prime
contractor's usual and customary program, the program shall be
mutually agreed upon, taking into account the prime contractor's
experience, expertise, existing labor agreements relating to safety
issues, and any unique safety issues relating to the project.
(d) This section shall not affect any provision in a collective
bargaining agreement specified in Section 3201.5 of the Labor Code
that is submitted by the prime contractor with its construction bid.
(e) The use of owner-controlled or wrap-up insurance under this
chapter does not abrogate, limit, or otherwise affect any potential
liability that is otherwise available at law.
(f) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the
following meanings:
(1) "Owner-controlled or wrap-up insurance" means a series of
insurance policies issued to cover all of the contractors and
subcontractors on a given project for purposes of general liability
and workers' compensation.
(2) "State governmental agency" means any state office, officer,
department, division, bureau, board, commission, the University of
California, or the California State University.
(3) "Local governmental agency" means any city, county, city and
county, special district, authority, or other political subdivision
of or within the state.