Section 9.314 — Purchasing services or supplies by reverse auction.
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(A)As used in this section:
(1)"Contracting authority" has the same meaning as in section 307.92 of the Revised Code.
(2)"Political subdivision" means a municipal corporation, township, county, school district, or other body corporate and politic responsible for governmental activities only in geographic areas smaller than that of the state and also includes a contracting authority.
(3)"Reverse auction" means a purchasing process in which offerors submit proposals in competing to sell services or supplies in an open environment via the internet.
(4)"Services" means the furnishing of labor, time, or effort by a person, not involving the delivery of a specific end product other than a report which, if provided, is merely incidental to the required performance. "Services" does not include services furnished pursuant to employment agreements or collective bargaining agreements.
(5)"Supplies" means all property, including, but not limited to, equipment, materials, other tangible assets, and insurance, but excluding real property or interests in real property.
(B)(1) Whenever any political subdivision determines that the use of a reverse auction is advantageous to the political subdivision, the political subdivision, in accordance with this section and rules the political subdivision shall adopt, may purchase services or supplies by reverse auction.
(2)A political subdivision shall not purchase supplies or services by reverse auction if the contract concerns the design, construction, alteration, repair, reconstruction, or demolition of a building, highway, road, street, alley, drainage system, water system, waterworks, ditch, sewer, sewage disposal plant, or any other structure or works of any kind.
(C)A political subdivision shall solicit proposals through a request for proposals. The request for proposals shall state the relative importance of price and other evaluation factors. The political subdivision shall give notice of the request for proposals in accordance with the rules it adopts.
(D)As provided in the request for proposals and in the rules a political subdivision adopts, and to ensure full understanding of and responsiveness to solicitation requirements, the political subdivision may conduct discussions with responsible offerors who submit proposals determined to be reasonably susceptible of being selected for award. The political subdivision shall accord offerors fair and equal treatment with respect to any opportunity for discussion regarding any clarification, correction, or revision of their proposals.
(E)A political subdivision may award a contract to the offeror whose proposal the political subdivision determines to be the most advantageous to the political subdivision, taking into consideration factors such as price and the evaluation criteria set forth in the request for proposals. The contract file shall contain the basis on which the award is made.
(F)The rules that a political subdivision adopts under this section may require the provision of a performance bond, or another similar form of financial security, in the amount and in the form specified in the rules.
(G)If a political subdivision is required by law to purchase services or supplies by competitive sealed bidding or competitive sealed proposals, a purchase made by reverse auction satisfies that requirement.