1. Except as otherwise provided in NRS 616B.710, no officer or employee of this state, or of any public agency, public authority or public corporation (except a public corporation or public authority created pursuant to agreement or compact with another state), and no person acting or purporting to act on behalf of such officer or employee, or public agency or public authority or public corporation, shall, with respect to any public building or construction contract which is about to be or which has been competitively bid, require the bidder to make application or furnish financial data to, or to obtain or procure any of the surety bonds or contracts of insurance specified in connection with such contracts or by any law from, a particular insurer or agent or broker.

2. Except as otherwise provided in NRS 616B.710, no such officer or employee or any person acting or purporting to act on behalf of such officer or employee shall negotiate, make application for, obtain or procure any of such surety bonds or contracts of insurance (except contracts of insurance for builder’s risk or owner’s protective liability) which can be obtained or procured by the bidder, contractor or subcontractor.

3. This section does not, however, prevent the exercise by such officer or employee on behalf of the State or such public agency, public authority or public corporation of its right to approve the form, sufficiency or manner of execution of the surety bonds or contracts of insurance furnished by the insurer selected by the bidder to underwrite such bonds or contracts of insurance.

4. Any provisions in any invitation for bids or in any of the contract documents in conflict with this section are declared to be contrary to the public policy of this state.

5. A violation of this section is subject to the penalties provided by NRS 679A.180 (general penalty).

(Added to NRS by 1971, 1942; A 1999, 3148)