PRINTER'S NO. 2993

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA


HOUSE BILL

No. 2191 Session of 1986


        INTRODUCED BY GODSHALL, TRELLO, KUKOVICH, NOYE, G. M. SNYDER,
           YANDRISEVITS, MORRIS, BROUJOS, SAURMAN, MOEHLMANN, STABACK,
           SHOWERS, HERMAN, CARLSON, GLADECK, AFFLERBACH, SEMMEL,
           BALDWIN, HALUSKA AND HERSHEY, FEBRUARY 19, 1986

        REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON URBAN AFFAIRS, FEBRUARY 19, 1986

                                     AN ACT

     1  Amending the act of March 7, 1901 (P.L.20, No.14), entitled "An
     2     act for the government of cities of the second class,"
     3     restricting certain persons from bidding on contracts.

     4     The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
     5  hereby enacts as follows:
     6     Section 1.  Section 1.1 of Article XV of the act of March 7,
     7  1901 (P.L.20, No.14), referred to as the Second Class City Law,
     8  amended December 22, 1981 (P.L.532, No.152), is amended to read:
     9     Section 1.1.  Every contract relating to city affairs shall
    10  be authorized by general or specific ordinance of council and
    11  shall be let in the manner prescribed by council. All contracts
    12  shall be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder except in the
    13  following cases:
    14     I.  Purchases at public sale or pursuant to tariffs on file
    15  with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission;
    16     II.  Contracts for personal or professional services;
    17     III.  Contracts with political subdivisions, the Commonwealth


     1  of Pennsylvania or the United States Government or with any
     2  agencies or authorities of such governmental bodies; or
     3     IV.  Purchases of personal property where, by reason of
     4  patents or copyrights, the required type of item is available
     5  from only one seller.
     6     For competitive bidding on contracts involving an amount
     7  exceeding four thousand dollars ($4,000), invitations for bids
     8  shall be issued pursuant to reasonable notice, which shall be by
     9  advertisement and all bids shall be filed with the city
    10  controller and opened publicly at a time and place to be
    11  designated in the notice, and the figures shall be announced to
    12  persons present. For competitive bidding on contracts involving
    13  an amount of four thousand dollars ($4,000), or less, the
    14  Director of the Department of Supplies may obtain oral bids or
    15  letter bids or may proceed by a comparison of specific prices as
    16  set forth in the sellers' literature.
    17     Every contract for the construction, reconstruction,
    18  alteration, repair, improvement or maintenance of public works
    19  shall comply with the provisions of the act of March 3, 1978
    20  (P.L.6, No.3), known as the "Steel Products Procurement Act."
    21     No person, consultant, firm or corporation contracting with a
    22  city for purposes of rendering personal or professional services
    23  to the city shall share with any city officer or employe, and no
    24  city officer or employe shall accept, any portion of the
    25  compensation or fees paid by the city for the contracted
    26  services provided to the city except under the following terms
    27  or conditions:
    28     (1)  Full disclosure of all relevant information regarding
    29  the sharing of the compensation or fees shall be made to the
    30  council of the city.
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     1     (2)  The council of the city must approve the sharing of any
     2  fee or compensation for personal or professional services prior
     3  to the performance of said services.
     4     (3)  No fee or compensation for personal or professional
     5  services may be shared except for work actually performed.
     6     (4)  No shared fee or compensation for personal or
     7  professional services may be paid at a rate in excess of that
     8  commensurate for similar personal or professional services.
     9     No person who has been convicted of a Federal or State crime
    10  involving fraud upon a government or a government
    11  instrumentality, and no entity in which that person has an
    12  interest, may bid on a contract for a period of ten years after
    13  the conviction. For purposes of this subsection, fraud includes,
    14  but is not limited to:
    15     (1)  A misrepresentation of a material fact that is not made
    16  honestly and in good faith.
    17     (2)  A promise, representation or prediction as to the future
    18  that is not made honestly and in good faith.
    19     (3)  An intentional failure to disclose a material fact.
    20     (4)  A fictitious or pretended purchase or sale of a
    21  security.
    22     (5)  The gaining, through the sale of a security, of an
    23  underwriting or promotion fee or profit or a selling or managing
    24  fee or profit that is so gross or exorbitant as to be
    25  unconscionable. This includes a scheme, device or artifice to
    26  obtain such a profit, fee or commission.
    27     (6)  A scheme, device or artifice to defraud a prospective or
    28  actual customer, client or subscriber of securities, money or
    29  property.
    30     In the case of a bid involving the collection,
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     1  transportation, treatment, storage or disposal of solid waste or
     2  hazardous waste under the act of July 7, 1980 (P.L.380, No.97),
     3  known as the Solid Waste Management Act, the following shall
     4  apply:
     5     (1)  A bid may be rejected by the council if the council has
     6  reason to believe that the bidder's responsibility, character
     7  and general fitness for business do not command the confidence
     8  of the public and may not be conducive to the honest and
     9  efficient conduct of business in the best interest of the public
    10  or if the bidder's prior performance record in the collection,
    11  transportation, treatment, storage or disposal of solid waste
    12  exhibited insufficient reliability, expertise or competency to
    13  warrant the belief that the bidder would be likely to exhibit
    14  sufficient reliability, expertise or competence with respect to
    15  the contract being bid.
    16     (2)  The city may require the following information to be
    17  submitted with the bid:
    18     (i)  If the bidder has an equity interest in a company which
    19  collects, transports, treats, stores or disposes of solid waste
    20  or hazardous waste, the name and address of that company.
    21     (ii)  A description of the bidder's experience and
    22  credentials in collection, transportation, treatment, storage or
    23  disposal of solid waste or hazardous waste, including past or
    24  present licenses.
    25     (iii)  If the bidder is an entity, the names of the officers
    26  and directors or partners.
    27     (iv)  A list and explanation of Federal, State and local
    28  notices of violation, prosecutions, administrative orders and
    29  license revocations, for the ten years immediately preceding the
    30  bid submission, if the action is pending or has resulted in a
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     1  finding or a settlement of a violation of law by the bidder or
     2  its employes, and, in the case of an entity, by an officer or
     3  director or a partner, relating to the collection,
     4  transportation, treatment, storage or disposal of solid waste or
     5  hazardous waste.
     6     (v)  A list and explanation of judgments of civil liability
     7  and convictions against the bidder or its employes and, in the
     8  case of an entity, against an officer or director or a partner.
     9     (vi)  A list of agencies outside of this Commonwealth which
    10  had regulatory authority over the bidder in connection with the
    11  collection, transportation, treatment, storage or disposal of
    12  solid waste or hazardous waste.
    13     (vii)  Other information that the council deems relevant to
    14  the competency, reliability or good character of the bidder.
    15     Section 2.  This act shall take effect in 60 days.










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