(a) All proposed purchases in excess of fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) shall be advertised by posting notice thereof on a bulletin board maintained outside the purchasing office and in any other manner and for any length of time as may be determined. Sealed bids or bids to be submitted by a reverse auction procedure shall also be solicited by sending notice by mail or other electronic means to all persons, firms, or corporations who have filed a request in writing that they be listed for solicitation on bids for the particular items that are set forth in the request. If any person, firm, or corporation whose name is listed fails to respond to any solicitation for bids after the receipt of three solicitations, the listing may be cancelled.

(b) Except as provided in subsection (c), all bids shall be sealed when received and shall be opened in public at the hour stated in the notice.

(c) The awarding authority may make purchases or contracts through a reverse auction procedure; provided, however, that a reverse auction shall only be allowed where the item to be purchased at a reverse auction is either not at the time available on the state purchasing program under the same terms and conditions or, if available, the lowest price offered in the reverse auction is equal to or less than the price for which the item is available on the state purchasing program under the same terms and conditions. All of the purchases shall be subject to audit by the Department of Examiners of Public Accounts. For purposes of this chapter, a reverse auction procedure includes either of the following:

(1) A real-time bidding process usually lasting less than one hour and taking place at a previously scheduled time and Internet location, in which multiple anonymous suppliers submit bids to provide the designated goods or services.

(2) a. A bidding process usually lasting less than two weeks and taking place during a previously scheduled period and at a previously scheduled Internet location, in which multiple anonymous suppliers submit bids to provide the designated goods or services.

b. The Department of Examiners of Public Accounts shall establish procedures for the use of reverse auction, which shall be distributed to all contracting agencies and shall be used in conducting any audits of the purchasing agency.

(d) All original bids together with all documents pertaining to the award of the contract shall be retained in accordance with a retention period of at least seven years established by the Local Government Records Commission and shall be open to public inspection.

(e) No purchase or contract involving professional services shall be subject to the requirements of this chapter and no purchase or contract involving an amount in excess of fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) shall be divided into parts involving amounts of fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) or less for the purpose of avoiding the requirements of this chapter. All such partial contracts involving fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) or less shall be void.