SB 2300 Mississippi Senate · 2025 Regular Session

Construction contracts; amend certain provisions.

SB 2300 amends Mississippi's construction contracting rules for public projects, requiring state agencies and local governments to use the "design-build" method only when it better serves public interest than traditional approaches. It mandates that contracts cover both design and construction costs, require proposals from teams including a licensed Mississippi architect/engineer and a licensed contractor, and set cost as a minimum 35% of evaluation weight. The bill eliminates the prior requirement for licensed architects/engineers to serve on evaluation committees and demands detailed justifications for non-lowest-cost awards, while standardizing public notice procedures for competitive bidding.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

Mar 2025

Senate Passage

Feb 2025

House Passage

Mar 2025

Signed into Law

Mar 2025

Introduced Feb 13, 2025 Signed Mar 12, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

As Passed the upper → Current version · 1 edit

MINOR

The bill title was updated from 'As Passed the Senate' to 'As Sent to Governor', indicating the legislative process has moved forward. This change reflects the bill's progression through the legislative pipeline rather than a substantive policy modification to the bill's content.

TECHNICAL

Updated bill status notation from 'As Passed the Senate' to 'As Sent to Governor' to reflect the bill's current stage in the legislative process.

As Introduced → Committee Substitute · 7 edits

MODERATE

The Committee Substitute significantly strengthens the design-build and construction manager at risk contracting requirements. It mandates that proposals be solicited from qualified design-builders with both design and construction phases covered in the contract, requires the evaluation committee to include at least one Mississippi-licensed architect or engineer, and establishes a $25 million minimum threshold for construction manager at risk projects. The bill also adds new requirements for public notice, scope of work statements, and independent oversight to ensure fair competition and quality oversight.

Scope change

The bill now explicitly requires solicitation from qualified design-builders and adds specific eligibility criteria for construction manager at risk projects, including a $25 million minimum cost threshold and requirements for independent architectural or engineering guidance throughout the project.

REQUIREMENT

Requires contracts to include payment for both design and construction phases, eliminating the option of separate contracts that might not fully integrate design and construction responsibilities.

Establishes a $25 million minimum construction cost threshold for projects using the construction manager at risk method of delivery.

Requires agencies to retain an independent architectural or engineering firm to provide guidance and administration throughout the entire project lifecycle.

Adds detailed prequalification procedures for construction managers, including publication of qualifications in newspapers and online, with specific criteria for evaluating contractor capabilities.

Expands scope of work statement requirements to include additional information such as budget parameters, schedule requirements, and evaluation criteria to enable competitive proposals.

Requires annual compilation and public release of all procurement records, contracts, and proceedings related to design-build and construction manager at risk projects for transparency.

ELIGIBILITY

Changed the evaluation committee requirement to ensure at least one member is an architect or engineer licensed and registered in Mississippi, maintaining local professional oversight.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 11, 2025 · House Mar 5, 2025

How they voted

51–0

Passed

Total votes 51

Feb 11, 2025

D Democratic16

16 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican35

35 Yea

100% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 12, 2025

Signed into law

Approved by Governor

executive

Mar 5, 2025

Lower · Passed

Passed

lower

Mar 3, 2025

Lower · Passed

Title Suff Do Pass

lower

Feb 17, 2025

Committee

Referred To Workforce Development

lower

Feb 13, 2025

Introduced

Transmitted To House

upper

Feb 11, 2025

Upper · Passed

Passed

upper

Feb 3, 2025

Upper · Passed

Title Suff Do Pass Comm Sub

upper

Jan 20, 2025

Committee

Referred To Public Property

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors