The department is hereby authorized to contract for provisions, clothing, medicines, forage, fuel, and all other staple supplies needed for the support of the prisons for any period of time, not exceeding one year, and such contracts shall be limited to bona fide dealers in the several classes of articles contracted for. Contracts for such articles as the department may desire to contract for, shall be given to the lowest bidder at a public letting thereof, if the price bid is a fair and reasonable one, and not greater than the usual value and prices.

Each bid shall be accompanied by such security as the department may require, conditional upon the bidder entering into a contract upon the terms of his bid, on notice of the acceptance thereof, and furnishing a penal bond with good and sufficient sureties in such sum as the department may require, and to its satisfaction that he will faithfully perform his contract.

If the proper officer of the prison reject any article, as not complying with the contract, or if a bidder fail to furnish the articles awarded to him when required, the proper officer of the prison may buy other articles of the kind rejected or called for, in the open market, and deduct the price thereof, over the contract price, from the amount due to the bidder, or charge the same up against him.

Notice of the time, place, and conditions of the letting of contracts shall be given for at least two consecutive weeks in two newspapers printed and published in the City and County of San Francisco, and in one newspaper printed and published in the County of Sacramento, and in the county where the prison to be supplied is situated.

If all the bids made at such letting are deemed unreasonably high, the department may, in its discretion, decline to contract and may again advertise for such time and in such papers as it sees proper for proposals, and may so continue to renew the advertisement until satisfactory contracts are made; and in the meantime the department may contract with anyone whose offer is regarded as just and equitable, or may purchase in the open market.

No bids shall be accepted, nor a contract entered into in pursuance thereof, when such bid is higher than any other bid at the same letting for the same class or schedule of articles, quality considered, and when a contract can be had at such lower bid.

When two or more bids for the same article or articles are equal in amount, the department may select the one which, all things considered, may by it be thought best for the interest of the State, or it may divide the contract between the bidders as in its judgment may seem proper and right.

The department shall have power to let a contract in the aggregate or they may segregate the items, and enter into a contract with the bidder or bidders who may bid lowest on the several articles.

The department shall have the power to reject the bid of any person who had a prior contract and who had not, in the opinion of the department, faithfully complied therewith.

(Amended by Stats. 1957, Ch. 2256.)