Press Release  IG Shapiro Calls for Common Sense Changes to State Procurement Laws

Boston, MA — In testimony before the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight, Inspector General Jeffrey S. Shapiro called for common sense changes to the state procurement laws, commonly referred to as Chapter 30B (Uniform Procurement Act, M.G.L. c. 30B). Chapter 30B governs how municipalities, as well as some other governmental entities, purchase goods and services.

IG Shapiro testified in support of two bills – House 12, An Act Updating Chapter 30B, and House 13, An Act Relative to Snow Hauling and Removal.  These two bills allow municipal government greater flexibility while maintaining the appropriate transparency and fairness in procurement.

A key provision of House 12 would raise the threshold at which municipalities may solicit written quotes, as opposed to sealed bids, from $50,000 to $100,000. House 13 would exempt snow hauling and snow removal from Chapter 30B, allowing municipalities to seek vendors to plow, haul and remove snow in one solicitation, thus likely attracting more interest from vendors.

As the only statewide Inspector General in the country with municipal oversight, IG Shapiro regularly meets with mayors, town administrators and managers to better understand how the Office of the Inspector General can be a resource for them to help prevent waste, fraud and abuse. “Approximately $32 billion are spent by our cities and towns. I want to give municipal leaders the tools they need to secure the goods and services their communities need while protecting the fundamental principles of transparency, fairness and competition that the procurement laws were created to protect,” IG Shapiro said. “These bills do just that.  And while I don’t believe there is any opposition to these bills, I do believe there may be indifference.  I am here to say, these changes are necessary for the leaders of the communities you represent to do their jobs effectively.”

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