(a) There is established a State Contracting Standards Board that shall consist of fourteen members appointed as follows: Eight members by the Governor, two members by the speaker of the House of Representatives, two members by the president pro tempore of the Senate, one member by the majority leader of the Senate and one member by the majority leader of the House of Representatives. In the event that the party of the Governor also controls both houses of the General Assembly, the board shall be appointed as follows: Eight members by the Governor, one member by the president pro tempore of the Senate, one member by the speaker of the House of Representatives, one member by the majority leader of the Senate, one member of the majority leader of the House of Representatives, one member by the minority leader of the Senate and one member by the minority leader of the House of Representatives.

(b) Each member shall have demonstrated sufficient knowledge by education, training or experience in one or more of the following enumerated areas: (1) Procurement; (2) contract negotiation, selection and drafting; (3) contract risk assessment; (4) competitive bidding and proposal procedures; (5) real estate transactions, including the purchase, sale and lease of real estate and buildings; (6) building construction and architecture; (7) business insurance and bonding; (8) ethics in public contracting; (9) federal and state statutes, procurement policies and regulations; (10) outsourcing and privatization analysis; (11) small and minority business enterprise development; (12) engineering and information technologies; (13) human services; and (14) personnel and labor relations, provided such education, training or experience was acquired over not less than a continuous five-year period within the ten-year period preceding such appointment.

(c) The chairperson of the board shall be appointed by the Governor. The terms of the members shall be coterminous with the terms of the appointing authority for each member and subject to the provisions of section 4-1a. If any vacancy occurs on the board, the appointing authority having the power to make the appointment under the provisions of this section shall appoint a person in accordance with the provisions of this section.

(d) The State Contracting Standards Board shall be within the Office of Governmental Accountability established under section 1-300.

(e) The chairperson of the board and other members of the board shall be compensated two hundred dollars per diem. No person shall serve on the board who is a state or municipal employee. No board member or any spouse, child, stepchild, parent or sibling of such board member shall be directly involved in any enterprise that does business with the state.

(f) The Governor shall appoint an executive director of the board who shall serve as an ex-officio, nonvoting member of the board. The executive director shall be appointed in accordance with the provisions of section 4-7 and may be removed from office for reasonable cause, in accordance with chapter 67. The board shall, annually, conduct a performance evaluation of such executive director. The executive director shall report to the chairperson of the board and, in consultation with the Chief Procurement Officer, (1) conduct comprehensive planning with respect to the administrative functions of the board; (2) coordinate the budget and personnel activities of the board; (3) cause the administrative organization of the board to be examined with a view to promoting economy and efficiency; (4) act as the external liaison for the board; and (5) execute such other duties as may be assigned by the chairperson of the board or the board, as applicable. The executive director may enter into such contractual agreements as may be necessary for the discharge of the director's duties.

(g) The board shall appoint a Chief Procurement Officer for a term not to exceed six years, unless reappointed pursuant to the provisions of this subsection. The Chief Procurement Officer shall report to the board and annually be evaluated by, and serve at the pleasure of, the board. For administrative purposes only, the Chief Procurement Officer shall be supervised by the executive director.

(1) The Chief Procurement Officer shall be responsible for carrying out the policies of the board relating to procurement including, but not limited to, oversight, investigation, auditing, agency procurement certification and procurement and project management training and enforcement of said policies as well as the application of such policies to the screening and evaluation of current and prospective contractors. The Chief Procurement Officer may enter into such contractual agreements as may be necessary for the discharge of the duties as set forth in this subsection and by the board, including, but not limited to, recommending best practices and providing operational and administrative assistance to state agencies determined, by the board, to be in violation of sections 4e-16 to 4e-47, inclusive.

(2) In addition to the duties set forth by the board, the Chief Procurement Officer shall (A) oversee state contracting agency compliance with the provisions of statutes and regulations concerning procurement; (B) monitor and assess the performance of the procurement duties of each agency procurement officer; (C) administer the certification system and monitor the level of agency compliance with the requirements of statutes and regulations concerning procurement, including, but not limited to, the education and training, performance and qualifications of agency procurement officers; (D) review and monitor the procurement processes of each state contracting agency, quasi-public agencies and institutions of higher education; and (E) serve as chairperson of the Contracting Standards Advisory Council and an ex-officio member of the Vendor and Citizen Advisory Panel.

(h) The board may contract with consultants and professionals on a temporary or project by project basis and may employ, subject to the provisions of chapter 67, such employees as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this section.

(i) The reasonable expenses of the State Contracting Standards Board and its employees shall be paid from the budget of the board, upon the approval of the board.

(j) No employee of the State Contracting Standards Board shall hold another state or municipal position. No nonclerical employee of the board or any spouse, child, stepchild, parent or sibling of such employee, shall be associated with an enterprise that does business with the state. For purposes of this subsection, “associated with” means “business with which he is associated”, as defined in section 1-79. Each member and employee of the State Contracting Standards Board shall file, with the board and with the Office of State Ethics, a statement of financial interests, as described in section 1-83. Such statement shall be a public record. Such statements for the preceding calendar year shall be filed with the Office of State Ethics, as required by law, if such employee or member held such a position during the preceding calendar year.

(k) Any violation of the provisions of subsection (j) of this section shall constitute a violation of part I of chapter 10 and may be the subject of a complaint and investigation filed and conducted in accordance with the provisions of section 1-82.

(l) The board shall adopt such rules as it deems necessary for the conduct of its internal affairs, in accordance with section 4-167, including, but not limited to, rules of procedure for any audit undertaken pursuant to section 4e-6.

(m) Eight members of the board, including not less than one member appointed by a legislative leader, shall constitute a quorum which shall be required for the transaction of business by the board.

(Sept. Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-1, S. 2; P.A. 11-48, S. 67.)

History: Sept. Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-1 effective January 1, 2009; P.A. 11-48 amended Subsec. (d) by replacing language re independent body within Executive Department with language re Office of Governmental Accountability, effective July 1, 2011.

See Sec. 4-38f for definition of “administrative purposes only”.