For purposes of this article, the following definitions apply:

(a) “Best value” means a procurement process whereby the lowest responsible bidder may be selected on the basis of objective criteria for evaluating the qualifications of bidders with the resulting selection representing the best combination of price and qualifications.

(b) “Best value contract” means a contract entered into pursuant to the provisions of this article.

(c) “Best value contractor” means a properly licensed person, firm, or corporation that submits a bid for, or is awarded, a best value contract.

(d) “Demonstrated management competency” means the experience, competency, capability, and capacity of the proposed management staffing to complete projects of similar size, scope, or complexity.

(e) “Financial condition” means the financial resources needed to perform the contract. The criteria used to evaluate a bidder’s financial condition shall include, at a minimum, capacity to obtain all required payment bonds, performance bonds, and liability insurance.

(f) “Labor compliance” means the ability to comply with, and past performance with, contract and statutory requirements for the payment of wages and qualifications of the workforce. The criteria used to evaluate a bidder’s labor compliance shall include, as a minimum, the bidder’s ability to comply with the apprenticeship requirements of the California Apprenticeship Council and the Department of Industrial Relations, its past conformance with such requirements, and its past conformance with requirements to pay prevailing wages on public works projects.

(g) “Project labor agreement” means a prehire collective bargaining agreement that establishes terms and conditions of employment for a specific construction project or projects and is an agreement described in Section 158(f) of Title 29 of the United States Code.

(h) “Qualifications” means financial condition, relevant experience, demonstrated management competency, labor compliance, the safety record of the bidder, and, if required by the bidding documents, some or all of the preceding qualifications as they pertain to subcontractors proposed to be used by the bidder for designated portions of the work.

(i) “Relevant experience” means the experience, competency, capability, and capacity to complete projects of similar size, scope, or complexity.

(j) “Safety record” means the prior history concerning the safe performance of construction contracts. The criteria used to evaluate a bidder’s safety record shall include, as a minimum, its experience modification rate for the most recent three-year period, and its average total recordable injury or illness rate and average lost work rate for the most recent three-year period.

(k) “University” means all locations of the University of California.

(Amended by Stats. 2017, Ch. 850, Sec. 3. (AB 1424) Effective January 1, 2018.)