(A) The board of trustees of a regional airport authority or any officer or employee designated by such board may make without competitive bidding any contract for any purchase , lease, lease with option or agreement to purchase any property, or any construction contract for any work, the cost of which shall not exceed fifty thousand dollars. Any purchase, lease, lease with option or agreement to purchase, or construction contract in excess of fifty thousand dollars shall require that a notice calling for bids be published once a week for not less than two consecutive weeks preceding the day of the opening of the bids in a newspaper of general circulation within the territorial boundaries of the regional airport authority. The regional airport authority also may cause notice to be inserted in trade papers or other publications designated by it or to be distributed by electronic means, including posting the notice on the internet site on the world wide web of the regional airport authority. If the contracting authority posts the notice on that internet web site, the requirement that a second notice be published in a newspaper of general circulation within the territorial boundaries of the regional airport authority does not apply provided the first notice published in that newspaper meets all of the following requirements:

(1) It is published at least two weeks prior to the day of the opening of the bids.

(2) It includes a statement that the notice is posted on the internet site on the world wide web of the regional airport authority.

(3) It includes the internet address of the internet site on the world wide web of the regional airport authority.

(4) It includes instructions describing how the notice may be accessed on the internet site on the world wide web of the regional airport authority.

If the bid is for a contract for the construction, demolition, alteration, repair, or reconstruction of an improvement, it shall meet the requirements of section 153.54 of the Revised Code. If the bid is for any other contract authorized by this section, it shall be accompanied by a good and approved bond with ample security conditioned on the carrying out of the contract as determined by the board. The board may let the contract to the lowest and best bidder. Such contract shall be in writing and shall be accompanied by or shall refer to plans and specifications for the work to be done, as approved by the board. The plans and specifications at all times shall be made and considered part of the contract. The contract shall be approved by the board and signed by its chief executive officer and by the contractor, and shall be executed in duplicate.

(B) The competitive bidding procedures described in division (A) of this section do not apply in any of the following circumstances:

(1) The board of trustees of a regional airport authority, by a majority vote of its members present at any meeting, determines that a real and present emergency exists under any of the following conditions, and the board enters its determination and the reasons for it in its proceedings:

(a) Affecting safety, welfare, or the ability to deliver services;

(b) Arising out of an interruption of contracts essential to the provision of daily air services and other services related to the airport;

(c) Involving actual physical damage to structures, supplies, equipment, or property requiring immediate repair or replacement.

(2) The purchase consists of goods or services, or any combination thereof, and after reasonable inquiry the board or any officer or designee of the board finds that only one source of supply is reasonably available.

(3) The expenditure is for a renewal or renegotiation of a lease or license for telecommunications or informational technology equipment, services, or systems, or for the upgrade of such equipment, services, or systems, or for the maintenance thereof as supplied by the original source or its successors or assigns.

(4) The purchase of goods or services is made from another political subdivision, public agency, public transit system, regional transit authority, the state, or the federal government, or as a third-party beneficiary under a state or federal procurement contract, or as a participant in a department of administrative services contract under division (B) of section 125.04 of the Revised Code or under an approved purchasing plan of this state.

(5) The purchase substantially involves services of a personal, professional, highly technical, or scientific nature, including the services of an attorney, physician, engineer, architect, surveyor, appraiser, investigator, adjuster, advertising consultant, or licensed broker, or involves the special skills or proprietary knowledge required for the operation of the airport owned by the regional transit authority.

(6) Services or supplies are available from a qualified nonprofit agency pursuant to sections 4115.31 to 4115.35 of the Revised Code.

(7) The purchase consists of the product or services of a public utility.

Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.141, HB 509, §1, eff. 9/28/2012.

Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.28, HB 153, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2011.

Effective Date: 06-30-1997 .