(1) There is hereby created, in the department of transportation, the engineering, design, and construction division, the head of which shall be the chief engineer.
(2) The engineering, design, and construction division and the office of the chief engineer shall exercise their powers and perform their duties and functions under the department of transportation and the executive director as if the same were transferred to the department by atype 2 transfer, as such transfer is defined in the "Administrative Organization Act of 1968", article 1 of title 24, C.R.S.
(3) The engineering, design, and construction division shall be responsible for all engineering, design, and construction operations of the department.
(4) The department shall update the bidding rules regarding prequalification requirements, including the contract amounts for which a bidder is required to submit an audited financial statement reviewed by a certified public accountant. In addition, the chief engineer shall develop a policy regarding how previous relevant experience and the bonding capacity of a contractor will be considered when evaluating proposals and bids submitted for public projects.