Overview

Section 9 of Public Act 11-229 required the Department of Administrative Services, in consultation with the Labor Commissioner, the president of The University of Connecticut and the Commissioners of Construction Services and Transportation, or their designees, to study in-state contracting preferences and to submit a report to the Governor and the legislature’s Labor Committee. The report was to include (1) an analysis of any law or economic factor that results in a resident bidder being at a disadvantage to a nonresident bidder in submitting the lowest responsible qualified bid, (2) the reason any enacted law designed to give preference to state citizens for employment on public works projects is not being enforced, and (3) recommendations for administrative or legislative action, within the confines of clause 3 of section 8 of article 1 of the United States Constitution, to increase the number of state contracts awarded to resident bidders.

Throughout the fall of 2011, the Department of Administrative Services convened a Working Group and held public meetings to accomplish this mandate. In addition to DAS, Leaders from the University of Connecticut, the State University Systems, the Connecticut Community Colleges, Legislative Management, the Judicial Branch, and the Departments of Construction Services, Labor, and Transportation participated in the Working Group.