Competitive bidding; contract protest procedures revised; requirements for submitting disclosure statements revised

HB 286 revises state competitive bidding laws, bringing volunteer fire departments and rescue squads under local competitive bid rules. It shortens the deadline for protesting a contract bid from 14 days to 5 days, and these protest procedures will no longer be subject to the Administrative Procedure Act. The bill also updates requirements for disclosure statements, including revising the financial threshold for when they are needed. Additionally, it allows for alternative forms or a single annual disclosure statement for multiple proposals to the same agency, and exempts contracts with publicly traded companies and economic development incentives from disclosure requirements.