• Procurement laws are often used by the government to get land needed for building a new building or structure.construction image by Pali A from Fotolia.com
  
  Procurement can be a gray area, as sometimes these are outlined as laws and statutes while in other states they are labeled as procedures. Procurement laws refer to the rules and regulations for doing business with the government. When the state of Florida needs to purchase supplies or outsource work, many firms compete for these procurement contracts. The Florida government makes all purchases through the Department of Management Services, Division of Purchasing.
  
  

Chapter 287

• Chapter 287 of Florida State law is the part of the legislative code that describes how purchases are made by the state. The entire process of arranging contracts and bidding is laid out in this section, including emergency procedures that allow for the bypassing of normal rules when a disaster such as a hurricane strikes and instant action is needed. These laws are meant to provide an equal playing field so that businesses of all sizes and locations within the state have a fair chance to win a work contract.
  
  

Sealed Bidding

• Sealed bidding is required for procurement of state contracts according to Florida's regulations. Sealed bidding is when companies wishing to obtain a specific contract submit proposals, which are given to the decision-makers within the department without any company logos, names or other identifying information. This helps to ensure that the best proposal procures the work contract, and not a company whose owner is buddies with someone in the government. Sealed bidding is meant to minimize corruption.
  
  

Exception to Sealed Bidding

• Florida state laws do allow certain scenarios where sealed bidding can be bypassed. The department is either allowed to award a no-bid contract in situations where the assignment is for potentially dangerous operations, or reviews of the companies themselves are made to ensure businesses with questionable safety records do not procure contracts. In these instances, bids are not sealed for confidentiality. Emergency situations allow for awarding contracts to the largest and most competitive companies without having to open up bidding at all.