State Use Program

Procurement Preference - Community Rehabilitation Facilities

In order for a state agency to conduct business with a qualified Community Rehabilitation Facility (CRF) under the State Use Law and be exempt from bid, the agency must request approval in writing to the manager of the State Use Law Program. This letter must include the name of the CRF, type of contract, duration of the contract, and the dollar amount. A procurement business case must be completed and submitted for a contract with an annual value over $10,000.

The CRF must provide a Certificate of Assurance that shows the number of severely disabled workers that will be asigned to the job and a narrative of how they will conduct the contract. These documents are then presented to the State Use Committee for vote.

The State Use Committee has been created to facilitate the purchase of products and services from CRFs. The Committee is empowered to:

• request from any state agency information as to product specifications and service requirements in order to carry out its purpose;
• request a quarterly report from each participating qualified CRF describing the volume of sales of each product or service sold;
• prepare a publication listing all the products and services available from qualified CRFs and distribute the list to all State Procurement Officers; and
• review all bids submitted under the provisions of the Act and reject any such bids for any purchase that is determined to be substantially more than the purchase would have cost had it been competitively bid.

Upon Committee approval, the agency is given the authority to proceed with the contract and be exempt from bid. The Committee meets at least quarterly to review proposed contracts, develop guidelines to be followed by qualified CRFs and assist State Use staff in the development of policy. The Committee prepares an annual report for submission to the Governor.