1Amending the act of May 1, 1913 (P.L.155, No.104), entitled "An
2act regulating the letting of certain contracts for the
3erection, construction, and alteration of public buildings,"
4increasing the minimum bid requirement; and providing for
5evasion of requirements.

6The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
7hereby enacts as follows:

8Section 1. Section 1 of the act of May 1, 1913 (P.L.155, 
9No.104), referred to as the Separations Act, amended December 
1022, 1981 (P.L.546, No.159), is amended to read:

11Section 1. (a) Be it enacted, &c., That hereafter in the
12preparation of specifications for the erection, construction,
13and alteration of any public building, when the entire cost of
14such work shall exceed [four thousand dollars] one hundred 
15thousand dollars subject to annual adjustment under subsection 
16(b), it shall be the duty of the architect, engineer, or other
17person preparing such specifications, to prepare separate
18specifications for the plumbing, heating, ventilating, and

1electrical work; and it shall be the duty of the person or
2persons authorized to enter into contracts for the erection,
3construction, or alteration of such public buildings to receive
4separate bids upon each of the said branches of work, and to
5award the contract for the same to the lowest responsible bidder
6for each of said branches.

7Every contract for the construction, reconstruction,
8alteration, repair, improvement or maintenance of public works
9shall comply with the provisions of the act of March 3, 1978 
10(P.L.6, No.3), known as the "Steel Products Procurement Act."

11(b) The Department of Labor and Industry shall adjust the
12amount at which competitive bidding is required in subsection
13(a) on March 1 of each year to conform with increases or
14decreases in the Consumer Price Index as published by the United
15States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics for the
16previous calendar year for Urban Wage Earners in the combined
17area of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland.

18Section 2. The act is amended by adding a section to read:

19Section 1.1. No person shall evade the provisions of section
201 by purchasing or contracting for services and personal
21properties piecemeal to obtain prices under the required
22advertising price, subject to annual adjustment under section
231(b). This provision is intended to make unlawful the making of
24a series of purchases or contracts each for less than the price
25to which section 1 applies, or by making several simultaneous
26purchases or contracts, each below said price, when in either
27case, the transactions involved should have been made as one
28transaction for one price. Any persons who violate this
29provision, and who know that the transaction in question is or
30ought to be a part of a larger transaction, and that it is being

1divided in order to evade the requirements of section 1, shall
2be jointly and severally subject to surcharge for ten per centum
3of the full amount of the contract or purchase.

4Section 3. This act shall apply to contracts and purchases
5advertised on or after the effective date of this act.

6Section 4. This act shall take effect in 60 days.