As used in this article:

(a) “Best value” means a procurement process whereby the selected 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 competitively bid contract entered into pursuant to 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) “County” means any of the following counties:

(1) The County of Alameda.

(2) The County of Los Angeles.

(3) The County of Monterey.

(4) The County of Riverside.

(5) The County of San Bernardino.

(6) The County of San Diego.

(7) The County of San Mateo.

(8) The County of Santa Clara.

(9) The County of Solano.

(10) The County of Yuba.

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

(f) “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.

(g) “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 those requirements, and its past conformance with requirements to pay prevailing wages on public works projects.

(h) “Qualifications” means the financial condition, relevant experience, demonstrated management competency, labor compliance, and 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. A county shall evaluate financial condition, relevant experience, demonstrated management competency, labor compliance, and safety record, using, to the extent possible, quantifiable measurements.

(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, at 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.

(Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 501, Sec. 2. (SB 128) Effective January 1, 2020. Repealed as of January 1, 2025, pursuant to Section 20155.9.)