SB 2618 Mississippi Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Airport facilities; authorize contracting with companies for financing, designing, constructing, operating or maintaining of.

SB 2618 allows Mississippi airport authorities, municipalities, and other government entities that own or operate airports to contract directly with private companies for financing, building, operating, or maintaining airport facilities - similar to how toll roads are handled. This bypasses standard public bidding requirements for these specific airport projects, as outlined in the amended Section 31-7-13. The bill explicitly states this is an additional option for airport development, not replacing existing laws. It directly affects local governments and airport operators seeking private partnerships for infrastructure without competitive bidding.

Issues: ✓ Transportation

Bill status died 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 19, 2026 Last action Feb 12, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

As Introduced → Current version · 11 edits

MAJOR

This bill was amended to add a 'Committee Substitute' version that significantly restructures the bidding procedures and exemptions in Section 31-7-13 of the Mississippi Code. The changes expand the list of items exempt from competitive bidding requirements and modify thresholds for certain purchase categories. The bill maintains its core purpose of allowing airport authorities to use public-private partnerships for airport development.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on airport financing and procurement procedures, but the procurement exemptions and bidding requirements were substantially modified to include more items and adjust dollar thresholds for various purchase categories.

REQUIREMENT

The bidding threshold for purchases under $5,000 was clarified to allow agencies to establish procedures requiring competitive bids even for purchases at or below this threshold, adding flexibility to local purchasing policies.

The $75,000 bidding threshold was retained but the language was reorganized to clarify that purchases between $5,000 and $75,000 require at least two competitive written bids without public advertisement.

New requirements were added for construction projects over $75,000, including a 15-day minimum bid opening period and mandatory weekly newspaper advertising for two consecutive weeks.

Added a requirement that construction bid items over $5,000 must be broken down by components with detailed descriptions and pricing for bid evaluation purposes.

New electronic bidding provisions were added allowing bids to be submitted via facsimile, email, or electronic transmission without requiring vendor signatures for electronic bids.

Added a new requirement that agencies using federal funds must comply with federal procurement standards under 2 CFR 200.317 through 200.327.

Added a new requirement that construction punch lists are limited to one preliminary and one final list to prevent scope creep in construction projects.

Modified the minority set-aside provisions to clarify that set-aside purchases must still comply with competitive bidding requirements and be made from the lowest and best minority business bidder.

Added new provisions for fuel management system bidding requiring negotiation with at least two sellers before contracting for fuel management services.

Added a new requirement for disaster debris removal through a preferred vendor list process developed by the Department of Finance and Administration.

EXEMPTIONS

Expanded the list of items exempt from bidding requirements to include 20 new categories such as IT products, energy efficiency services, library books, election ballots, and various specialized equipment purchases.

Floor votes

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Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Jan 30, 2026

Upper · Passed

Title Suff Do Pass Comm Sub

upper

Jan 19, 2026

Committee

Referred To Ports and Marine Resources

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors