If any project or any portion thereof or any improvement thereof shall be constructed, or furnished pursuant to a contract and the estimated cost thereof exceeds $10,000, such contract with the Authority shall be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder after advertisement for bids. The Authority may make rules and regulations for the submission of bids and the construction, furnishing, or improvement of any project or portion thereof to be owned by the Authority, the Commonwealth or any agency, institution, or department thereof. No contract shall be entered into by the Authority for construction, furnishing, or improvement of any project, or portion thereof, or for the purchase of materials, unless the contractor gives an undertaking with a sufficient surety approved by the Authority, and in an amount fixed by the Authority in accordance with § 2.2-4337, for the faithful performance of the contract. Such contract shall be accompanied by an additional bond for the protection of those who furnish labor and material or rental equipment for such amount and subject to the same terms and conditions as established by the Authority in accordance with § 2.2-4337. All construction contracts shall provide, among other things, that the person or corporation entering into such contract with the Authority will pay for all materials furnished, rental equipment used and services rendered for the performance of the contract, and that any person or corporation furnishing such materials, rental equipment or rendering such services may maintain an action to recover for the same against the obligor in the undertaking as though such person or corporation was named therein, provided the action is brought within one year after the time the cause of action accrued. The additional bond shall be conditioned upon the prompt payment of actual equipment rentals and shall not be conditioned upon or guarantee payment of equipment rentals, all or any part of which, directly or indirectly, apply on the purchase price of such equipment under the terms of a bailment lease or conditional sales contract or by any other arrangement by which title to the equipment will be transferred to the contractor and the rentals form any part of the consideration.

Subject to the foregoing, the Authority may, but without intending by this provision to limit any powers of the Authority, enter into and carry out such contracts, or establish or comply with such rules and regulations concerning labor and materials to rental equipment and other related matters in connection with any project, or portion thereof, as the Authority deems desirable.

1981, c. 569, § 2.1-234.27; 1998, cc. 498, 504; 2001, c. 844.