Article 2. Plans And Specifications of California Public Contract Code >> Division 2. >> Part 2. >> Chapter 2.5. >> Article 2.

Before entering into any contract for a project, the trustees, pursuant to the powers invested in them by Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 66600) of Part 40 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code, shall cause to be prepared full, complete, and accurate plans and specifications and estimates of cost, giving such directions as will enable any competent mechanic or other builder to carry them out.

The plans, specifications, and estimates of cost shall be approved by the trustees, and the original draft or a certified copy filed permanently in the office of the trustees before further action is taken.

Work on all projects shall be done under contract awarded to the lowest responsible bidder pursuant to this chapter, except that it may be done by day's labor under the direction of the trustees, by contract upon informal bids, or by a combination thereof:
  (a) When the trustees determine that an emergency exists due to an act of God, earthquake, flood, storm, fire, landslide, public disturbance, vandalism, or other unexpected cause which results in damage to a state-owned building, state-owned real property, or any improvements thereon, for work and remedial measures which are required immediately and which are necessary to protect the public health, safety, and welfare. The trustees shall annually, on or before December 31, report to the Department of Finance and the Joint Legislative Budget Committee the instances in which an exemption from the bidding process was allowed due to "unexpected causes."
  (b) At any time after the approval of plans, specifications, and estimates of cost, if the trustees deem the advertising or award of a contract, the acceptance of any bid, or the acceptance of any further bids after the rejection of all submitted bids, is not in the best interests of the state.

Upon the approval of the trustees the authorized employees of the trustees may, when proceeding upon the basis of day's labor, let any subdivision or unit of the work by contract upon informal bids; but such work shall be let only to a holder of a valid state contractor's license unless such work is exempt from such licensing requirement by any other provision of law.

Bids may be received and contracts awarded on a unit basis, that is, the bids compared upon the basis of estimates of the quantities of the work to be done.

Except in unit basis contracts, contracts shall not be made exceeding in amount the estimates of costs approved by the trustees. Plans and specifications and estimates of costs, including expense of advertising and inspection, shall not be approved by the trustees requiring a greater expenditure of money than is appropriated for the specific purpose in the law authorizing the expenditure.

The trustees may receive bids for the construction of several public works projects at the California State University as a single project. Where more than one appropriation has been made for the several projects united as a single project under the provisions of this section, payments for the single project shall be made from the separate appropriations on such proportional basis as may be determined by the trustees and approved by the Department of Finance.