AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS ENTERPRISES IN THE STATE PROCUREMENT SYSTEM.

This Act is the result of a successful pilot project involving disadvantaged business enterprises in State contracts. In 2023, Section 189 of Senate Bill No. 35, as amended by Senate Amendment No. 2, authorized the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to engage in a pilot program to include Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE) as part of large public works projects. If an agency elects to award based on best value, this Act allows for projects, valued in excess of $30,000,000, to be scored using DBE usage of at least 10% but no more than 30%. This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware Legislative Drafting Manual. This House Substitute Bill for House Bill No.387 clarifies that some or all of the objective criteria shall be assigned a specified weight in determining best value. This House Substitute bill also amends the Synopsis.