During open hearings on the state’s two-year budget bill, HB 153), Tom Shreves, executive director of the North Central Ohio Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association, and Valerie Dahlberg, executive director of the Mechanical Contractors Association of Ohio (MCAO),
testified in opposition to provisions in the bill referred to as “construction reform” — changes that would eliminate
multiple prime contracting for public projects “and all but eviscerate the notion of competitive bidding,” as Shreves
noted.
He went on to say, “First, public entities can already conduct business through a single prime contractor under Ohio
law. Second, competitive bidding has benefitted Ohioans by being inclusionary, not exclusionary for over a century,
and these changes undo those benefits. Third, changes as substantial as these should be considered outside the
budget bill.”
Shreves went on to say that a similar discussion took place last year when the
Legislature created three pilot projects at universities to test alternative construction delivery methods. These
projects, he said, were to be evaluated after four years — not less than two years later. Shreves said “allow those
pilot projects to work before making any further decisions on the issue.”
Dahlberg said they understand changes are needed “but not in this manner and not in this bill.”
“MCAO also is concerned that the process involved in passing a budget bill will not permit the careful consideration
of all relevant facts and arguments that a separate bill on construction reform would afford. Today’s construction
industry involves a great deal of fragmentation due to increasing technical specialization. The highly competitive nature of the business is based largely on price. A decision of this magnitude should not be made without a separate, thorough discussion and analysis of all the facts.”