Section 603. Competitive Bidding

Any single purchase or contract under the jurisdiction of the County Purchasing Agent and involving an expenditure in excess of such amount(s) as may be established by legislative act of the County Council, except emergency purchases and those involving services or material and equipment of a noncompetitive nature as may be defined and governed by the rules and regulations mentioned in Section 602 of this Charter, shall be made from or let by sealed bids or proposals publicly opened after public notice for such period and in such manner as the County Purchasing Agent or their authorized deputy shall determine. Such public notice for bids or proposals shall be advertised on a publicly available website designated by the County Purchasing Agent and in any other manner determined by the County Code. Such purchases and contracts shall be made from or awarded to the responsive and responsible bid that is most favorable to the County with respect to "best value", including technical requirements, diversity of suppliers, and costs, as defined in the Code. A security or bond for the performance of work as determined by the County's Purchasing Agent in accordance with the County Code may be required for purchases and contracts. No such purchase or contract shall be made or awarded within a period of one week from the date of the public opening of bids. In all cases, the County shall reserve the right to reject any and all bids. No contract or purchase shall be subdivided to avoid the requirements of this section. Anything to the contrary of this Section 603 notwithstanding, the Council may authorize the County Purchasing Agent to negotiate extensions of existing contracts for garbage and refuse collection, without competitive bidding, upon such terms and for such duration as the Council may by law prescribe; provided, however, that any such law shall require the County Purchasing Agent to poll the residents of the service area covered by a collection contract, and shall provide that the County Purchasing Agent not conclude any agreement for an extension unless a certain number of the residents of the service area, as prescribed by the Council, indicate their concurrence in the extension.