Andrew Ausel  |  September 3, 2015

On September 2, 2015 the California Legislature successfully passed AB 1358 authorizing school districts, until 2025, to procure design-build contracts for public works projects in excess of $1 million. The bill also enacts a DBIA Best Practice and authorizes school districts to award design-build contracts to either the low bid or the best value bidder. The bill now awaits the signature of Governor Jerry Brown (D) who has signed both of the design-build friendly bills that have been sent to his desk this session.

Existing law allowed school districts to use design-build until 2020 for projects exceeding $2.5 million. By the numbers, this bill lowers the threshold for school design-build projects in California by $1.5 million and extends their authority by 5 years.

“DBIA applauds the California legislature for the passage of AB 1358; it is a big win for local school districts and taxpayers. Passage of AB 1358 ends the arbitrary threshold on small design-build projects, saving local governments time and money in delivery of their projects,” said DBIA’s Director of State/Local Legislative Affairs, Richard Thomas.

“The extension of the sunset date gives local governments greater certainty that this important project delivery method is available to them.”

Paving the way for more design-build in the state of California, the passage of this bill is a definite win for DBIA and its Western Pacific Region. More information on this bill and its journey to passage may be found at the California Legislature’s website.