(a) When the nature of the work by departments, boards, commissions, or conservancies within the Resources Agency, in the opinion of the Department of General Services, is such that its services in connection therewith are not required, it may authorize the carrying out of the project directly by the department within the Resources Agency concerned therewith if the estimated cost does not exceed five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000). This limit shall be adjusted pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 10105.

(b) If the estimated total cost of any construction project or work carried out under this section exceeds fifty thousand dollars ($50,000), the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection shall solicit bids in writing and shall award the work to the lowest responsible bidder or reject all bids. However, the Director of General Services may authorize the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to carry out work in excess of fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) under this section by day labor if he or she deems that the award of a contract, the acceptance of bids, or the acceptance of further bids is not in the best interests of the state. However, in no event shall the amount of work performed by day labor under this section exceed the sum of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000). This limit shall be adjusted pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 10105.

(c) Notwithstanding the cost limitation of subdivision (a), the State Coastal Conservancy may, if authorized by the Department of General Services as described in subdivision (a), directly carry out a public works project involving habitat or wetlands restoration and related pedestrian or cycling access improvements, not including buildings or other nonaccess related structures on the following state-owned lands: Bel Marin Keys Unit V in Marin County, Eden Landing Ecological Reserve (a part of the South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project) in Alameda County, Bair Island Ecological Reserve in San Mateo County, Napa Sonoma Marshes State Wildlife Area in Napa, Solano, and Sonoma Counties, Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve in Los Angeles County, Buena Vista Lagoon Ecological Reserve in San Diego County, Los Peñasquitos Marsh in Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve in San Diego County, and Tijuana Estuary State Park in San Diego County. In carrying out a public works project pursuant to this subdivision, the State Coastal Conservancy shall comply with the provisions of, and regulations adopted pursuant to, this chapter.

(Amended by Stats. 2008, Ch. 444, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2009.)