In order for a state agency to conduct business with a qualified Community
Rehabilitation Facility (CRF) under the State Use Law and be exempt from bid,
the agency must request approval in writing to the manager of the State Use Law
Program. This letter must include the name of the CRF, type of contract,
duration of the contract, and the dollar amount. A procurement business case
must be completed and submitted for a contract with an annual value over
$10,000.
The CRF must provide a Certificate of Assurance that shows the number of
severely disabled workers that will be asigned to the job and a narrative of how
they will conduct the contract. These documents are then presented to the State
Use Committee for vote.
The State Use Committee has been created to facilitate the purchase of
products and services from CRFs. The Committee is empowered to:
- request from any state agency information as to product specifications and
service requirements in order to carry out its purpose;
- request a quarterly report from each participating qualified CRF describing
the volume of sales of each product or service sold;
- prepare a publication listing all the products and services available from
qualified CRFs and distribute the list to all State Procurement Officers; and
- review all bids submitted under the provisions of the Act and reject any
such bids for any purchase that is determined to be substantially more than the
purchase would have cost had it been competitively bid.
Upon Committee approval, the agency is given the authority to proceed with
the contract and be exempt from bid. The Committee meets at least quarterly to
review proposed contracts, develop guidelines to be followed by qualified CRFs
and assist State Use staff in the development of policy. The Committee prepares
an annual report for submission to the Governor.