S05115 Summary:

BILL NOS05115
 
SAME ASNo Same As
 
SPONSORCOMRIE
 
COSPNSR
 
MLTSPNSR
 
Amd §2879, Pub Auth L
 
Authorizes public authorities and public benefit corporations to negotiate with professional firms providing architectural or engineering services in order from the most qualified to the least qualified with regard to the provision of services to the authority or corporation.
Go to top    

S05115 Actions:

BILL NOS05115
 
04/09/2019REFERRED TO CORPORATIONS, AUTHORITIES AND COMMISSIONS
01/08/2020REFERRED TO CORPORATIONS, AUTHORITIES AND COMMISSIONS
Go to top

S05115 Committee Votes:

Go to top

S05115 Floor Votes:

There are no votes for this bill in this legislative session.
Go to top

S05115 Text:



 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          5115
 
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
 
                    IN SENATE
 
                                      April 9, 2019
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by  Sen.  COMRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Corporations,  Authorities
          and Commissions
 
        AN  ACT  to  amend  the public authorities law, in relation to requiring
          public authorities and public benefit corporations to  negotiate  with
          professional  firms providing architectural or engineering services in
          order from the most qualified to the least qualified  with  regard  to
          the provision of services to the authority or corporation
 
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section 1. Subparagraph (iv) of paragraph  (b)  of  subdivision  3  of
     2  section 2879 of the public authorities law, as amended by chapter 383 of
     3  the laws of 1994, is amended to read as follows:
     4    (iv)  as used in this subparagraph, the term "professional firm" shall
     5  be defined as any individual or sole proprietorship, partnership, corpo-
     6  ration, association, or other legal entity permitted by law to  practice
     7  the professions of architecture, engineering or surveying.
     8    It  is  the policy of New York state to negotiate contracts for archi-
     9  tectural and/or engineering services and/or surveying  services  on  the
    10  basis  of  demonstrated  competence  and  qualification  for the type of
    11  professional services required and at fair and reasonable fees.
    12    In  the  procurement  of  architectural,  engineering  and   surveying
    13  services,  the  corporation  is required to encourage professional firms
    14  engaged in the lawful practice of the profession  to  submit  an  annual
    15  statement  of  qualifications  and performance data. The corporation for
    16  each proposed project is required  to  evaluate  current  statements  of
    17  qualifications  and  performance  data on file with the corporation.  If
    18  desired, the corporation may conduct  discussions  with  three  or  more
    19  professional  firms  regarding  anticipated design concepts and proposed
    20  methods of approach to the assignment. The corporation  is  required  to
    21  select,  in  order of preference, based upon criteria established by the
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD11134-01-9

        S. 5115                             2
 
     1  corporation, no less than three professional firms deemed to be the most
     2  highly qualified to provide the services required.
     3    Every corporation is required to negotiate a contract with the highest
     4  qualified   professional   firm  for  architectural  and/or  engineering
     5  services and/or surveying services at compensation which the corporation
     6  determines in writing to be fair and reasonable to such corporation.  In
     7  making  this  decision, the corporation is required to take into account
     8  the estimated value of the services to be rendered, including the costs,
     9  the scope, complexity and professional nature thereof.
    10    The corporation shall not refuse to negotiate with a professional firm
    11  solely because the ratio of the "allowable  indirect  costs"  to  direct
    12  labor  costs  of  the  professional firm or the hourly labor rate in any
    13  labor category of the professional firm exceeds a  limitation  generally
    14  set by the corporation in the determination of the reasonableness of the
    15  estimated  cost of services to be rendered by the professional firm, but
    16  rather the corporation should also consider the reasonableness  of  cost
    17  based  on  the  total  estimated cost of the service of the professional
    18  firm which should include, among other  things,  all  the  direct  labor
    19  costs  of  the  professional  firm for such services plus all "allowable
    20  indirect costs," other  direct  costs,  and  negotiated  profit  of  the
    21  professional firm. "Allowable indirect costs" of a professional firm are
    22  defined  as  those costs generally associated with overhead which cannot
    23  be specifically identified with a single project  or  contract  and  are
    24  considered  reasonable  and  allowable  under specific state contract or
    25  allowability limits.  Should the corporation choose to engage in a qual-
    26  ification based procurement and be unable to  negotiate  a  satisfactory
    27  contract with the professional firm considered to be the most qualified,
    28  at  a  fee  the  corporation determines to be fair and reasonable to the
    29  corporation, negotiations with that professional firm shall be  formally
    30  terminated.   The corporation shall then undertake negotiations with the
    31  second most qualified professional firm. Failing accord with the  second
    32  most  qualified professional firm, the corporation shall formally termi-
    33  nate negotiations. The corporation  shall  then  undertake  negotiations
    34  with  the third most qualified professional firm. Should the corporation
    35  be unable to negotiate a satisfactory contract with any of the  selected
    36  professional  firms,  it  shall  select additional professional firms in
    37  order of their competence and qualifications and it shall continue nego-
    38  tiations in accordance with this section until an agreement is  reached.
    39  The  provisions  of  this  subparagraph  shall only apply to engineering
    40  and/or architectural services and/or surveying  services  in  excess  of
    41  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  and  shall not apply to the metropolitan
    42  transportation authority, the New York city  transit  authority  or  the
    43  Triborough bridge and tunnel authority or to any of their subsidiaries.
    44    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
Go to top