(a) The council may contract for consultant services and architectural and engineering services to assist the council with all of the following functions:

(1) Preparation of the Delta Plan and associated environmental review.

(2) Performance of the council’s responsibilities, or the responsibilities of the Delta Independent Science Board, with respect to the Bay Delta Conservation Plan.

(3) Determination of the consistency of state and local public agency actions with the Delta Plan.

(4) Performance of scientific review to inform water and environmental decisionmaking in the Delta.

(b) (1) Contracts entered into pursuant to subdivision (a) for consultant services shall be exempt from Article 4 (commencing with Section 19130) of Chapter 5 of Part 2 of Division 5 of Title 2 of the Government Code, Part 2 (commencing with Section 10100) of Division 2 of the Public Contract Code, and any rules or regulations adopted pursuant to those laws. Contracts entered into pursuant to subdivision (a) for architectural and engineering services shall be entered into pursuant to Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 4525) of Division 5 of Title 1 of the Government Code, but are exempt from the requirement in Section 4526 of the Government Code to adopt regulations prior to contracting.

(2) The council shall not enter into a contract pursuant to subdivision (a) for consultant services unless at least three bids or proposals to do the work have been evaluated by a competitive process.

(3) The council shall establish procedures for contracting for services pursuant to subdivision (a), consistent with paragraphs (1) and (2). The procedures shall be exempt from Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code.

(Added by Stats. 2010, Ch. 336, Sec. 1. (SB 1450) Effective September 27, 2010.)