1. Contracts which by their nature are not adapted to award by a competitive solicitation, including contracts for:

(a) Items which may only be contracted from a sole source;

(b) Professional services;

(c) Additions to and repairs and maintenance of equipment which may be more efficiently added to, repaired or maintained by a certain person;

(d) Equipment which, by reason of the training of the personnel or of an inventory of replacement parts maintained by the local government is compatible with existing equipment;

(e) Perishable goods;

(f) Insurance;

(g) Hardware and associated peripheral equipment and devices for computers;

(h) Software for computers;

(i) Maintenance and support for:

(1) Hardware and associated peripheral equipment and devices for computers; and

(2) Software for computers;

(j) Equipment containing hardware or software for computers;

(k) Books, instructional materials, library materials and subscriptions;

(l) Motor vehicle fuel purchased by a local law enforcement agency for use in an undercover investigation;

(m) Motor vehicle fuel for use in a vehicle operated by a local law enforcement agency or local fire department if such fuel is not available within the vehicle’s assigned service area from a fueling station owned by the State of Nevada or a local government;

(n) Purchases made with money in a store fund for prisoners in a jail or local detention facility for the provision and maintenance of a canteen for the prisoners;

(o) Supplies, materials, equipment or services that are available pursuant to an agreement with a vendor that has entered into an agreement with the General Services Administration or another federal governmental agency located within or outside this State;

(p) Items for resale through a retail outlet operated in this State by a local government or the State of Nevada;

(q) Commercial advertising within a recreational facility operated by a county fair and recreation board;

(r) Goods or services purchased from organizations or agencies whose primary purpose is the training and employment of persons with disabilities; and

(s) The design of, and equipment and services associated with, systems of communication,

are not subject to the requirements of this chapter for a competitive solicitation, as determined by the governing body or its authorized representative.

2. The purchase of forensic equipment and supplies used in forensic analysis or other equipment for use by a local law enforcement agency in the course of an undercover investigation is not subject to the requirements of this chapter for a competitive solicitation, as determined by the governing body or its authorized representative, if:

(a) The equipment is an electronic or mechanical device which by design is intended to monitor and document in a clandestine manner suspected criminal activity;

(b) Purchasing the equipment pursuant to such requirements would limit or compromise the use of such equipment by an agency authorized to conduct such investigations; or

(c) The equipment and supplies are:

(1) Used in analysis in such investigations; or

(2) Required to comply with specific forensic standards or quality standards.

3. The purchase of personal safety equipment for use by a response agency or any other local governmental agency is not subject to the requirements of this chapter for a competitive solicitation, as determined by the governing body or its authorized representative, if:

(a) The personal safety equipment will be used by personnel of the response agency or other local governmental agency in preventing, responding to or providing services of recovery or relief in connection with emergencies, acts of terrorism or other natural or man-made disasters in which the health, safety or welfare of those personnel may be compromised, impaired or otherwise threatened; and

(b) The cost of the personal safety equipment is comparable to the cost of similar personal safety equipment that is available for purchase by the public.

4. The purchase of goods commonly used by a hospital, including, without limitation, medical equipment, implantable devices and pharmaceuticals, by the governing body of a hospital or its authorized representative is not subject to the requirements of this chapter for a competitive solicitation. The governing body of the hospital or its authorized representative shall make available for public inspection each such contract and records related to those purchases.

5. This section does not prohibit a governing body or its authorized representative from advertising for or requesting responses.

6. As used in this section:

(a) “Act of terrorism” has the meaning ascribed to it in NRS 239C.030.

(b) “Personal safety equipment” means safety equipment that personnel of a response agency or other local governmental agency:

(1) Use in the course of preventing, responding to or providing services of recovery or relief in connection with emergencies, acts of terrorism or other natural or man-made disasters; or

(2) Wear or otherwise carry on a regular basis.

The term includes, without limitation, firearms, boots, bulletproof vests or other types of body armor, protective garments, protective eyewear, gloves, helmets, and any specialized apparatus, equipment or materials approved or recommended by the United States Department of Homeland Security.

(c) “Response agency” means an agency of a local government that provides services related to law enforcement, firefighting, emergency medical care or public safety.

(Added to NRS by 1975, 1538; A 1987, 296, 1484; 1991, 337, 349, 648, 1934, 1935; 1997, 132; 1999, 889, 1684; 2001, 1317; 2003, 620, 2262; 2005, 226, 2554; 2019, 773)