Notwithstanding any other provision of the general statutes, the Department of Rehabilitation Services may, within the limits of appropriations, purchase (1) wheelchairs and placement equipment directly and without the issuance of a purchase order, provided the cost of such purchases shall not be in excess of twenty thousand dollars per unit, and (2) adaptive equipment, including equipment to modify vehicles for persons with disabilities directly and without the issuance of a purchase order, provided the cost of such purchases of adaptive equipment shall not be in excess of one hundred twenty thousand dollars per unit. All such purchases shall be made in the open market, but shall, when possible, be based on at least three competitive bids. Such bids shall be solicited by sending notice to prospective suppliers and by posting notice on the Internet web site of the Department of Rehabilitation Services. Each bid shall be opened publicly at the time stated in the notice soliciting such bid. Acceptance of a bid by the Department of Rehabilitation Services shall be based on standard specifications as may be adopted by said department.

(P.A. 77-264; P.A. 89-354, S. 14, 21; P.A. 90-325, S. 12, 32; P.A. 93-262, S. 1, 87; P.A. 11-44, S. 65; June 12 Sp. Sess. P.A. 12-1, S. 79; P.A. 13-7, S. 6.)

History: P.A. 89-354 changed responsibilities of vocational rehabilitation services from state board of education to department of human resources and added new Subdiv. (2) re adaptive equipment and modified vehicles, effective July 1, 1990; P.A. 90-325 changed the effective date of P.A. 89-354 from July 1, 1990, to 60 days after the determination by the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services of the U.S. Department of Education that department of human resources meets all applicable federal statutory and regulatory requirements to be designated as sole state agency to administer the state plan for vocational rehabilitation services and that proposed bureau of rehabilitation services within the department meets all applicable federal statutory and regulatory requirements as a vocational rehabilitation organizational unit, i.e. July 1, 1991; Sec. 10-106a transferred to Sec. 17-671 in 1993; P.A. 93-262 authorized substitution of commissioner and department of social services for commissioner and department of human resources, effective July 1, 1993; Sec. 17-671 transferred to Sec. 17b-661 in 1995; P.A. 11-44 replaced “Bureau of Rehabilitation Services of the Department of Social Services” with “Bureau of Rehabilitative Services” and made conforming changes, effective July 1, 2011; June 12 Sp. Sess. P.A. 12-1 replaced references to Bureau of Rehabilitative Services with references to Department of Rehabilitation Services and replaced provision re posting notice on a public bulletin board with provision re posting notice on the department's Internet web site, effective July 1, 2012; P.A. 13-7 amended Subdiv. (1) to replace $3,500 per unit with $20,000 per unit re cost of wheelchairs and placement equipment, amended Subdiv. (2) to replace $10,000 per unit with $120,000 per unit re cost of adaptive equipment and equipment to modify vehicles, deleted provision re purchases of modified vehicles and made technical changes, effective July 1, 2013.