Legislative changes in the 2005 session affecting public contracting continue the recent trend of increasing flexibility through higher bidding thresholds and the creation of new exceptions to bidding requirements. The most important change was the increase in the minimum threshold for informal bidding, which created a significant category of contracts (those costing less than $30,000) that do not require any form of competition. Even though some jurisdictions may choose to conduct informal bidding for some or all contracts below this threshold, local units will have a choice about what procedures to adopt and are not restricted to the statutory procedures. Another significant change is the explicit authorization for agreements with developers to construct infrastructure improvements associated with new development. These provisions, which were enacted as part of a major revision to the land use development laws for local governments, provide a practical approach to the common occurrence in which developers are able to make infrastructure improvements as part of a private project, improvements that will benefit the jurisdiction as a whole.
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