Capital and Infrastructure Improvements:

Prequalification of Prospective

Standard Prequalification

Description:

CSU is required to prequalify prospective bidders for any Trustees-managed, major capital outlay project, regardless of funding. CSU may elect to require bidders to prequalify for minor capital outlay projects. CPDC's Construction Mgmt group performs the prequalification of bidders to best comply with PCC section 10761, which requires the Trustees to adopt and apply a uniform system of rating bidders. Applicants are required to complete a standard questionnaire online in PlanetBids, in which they provide specific information such as license, DIR Public Wks registration number, safety data, project experience (from which reference checks are secured), and a current audited financial statement. Once the application has been reviewed and reference checks returned, the Prequalification Coordinator sends the applicant an approval letter assigning a rating for the applicant.

If two or more prospective bidders wish to bid a project as a joint venture (JV):

  1. All firms involved in the JV must separately submit a prequalification application online not later than 10 business days prior to bid opening, and register with the Dept. of Industrial Relations to bid on public works projects.
  2. The firms must all sign and submit one Affidavit of Joint Venture form five days prior to bid opening, and each member of the JV must be prequalified one day prior to bid opening. Submit the Affidavit of Joint Venture form with all members' signatures to the office that distributes the project bid documents.
  3. Only one JV member's prequalification rating, or the combination of all JV members' prequalificatioin ratings, shall meet the project's advertised cost. 
  4. The JV must have the required license in the name of the JV at the time of award.
  5. If attendance at the project's prebid job walk is mandatory, only one of the firms in the JV needs to attend.

References:

  • SUAM​ sections 9740-9745​
  • CM Procedures Manual-section 7, Prequalification
  • Business & Professions Code section 7029.1
  • Public Contract Code sections 10760, 10761, 10763, 10764
  • Law of Design & Construction, section VII-Prequalification

Forms/Templates:


Project Specific Supplemental or Technical Prequalification

Description:

Campus may impose or require a project specific prequalification or technical prequalification to complement the standard requirements to ensure potential bidders have the special experience necessary for a specific project. When special or technical prequalification requirements are used, campus shall so state in the Notice to Contractors, and expand upon in the Division One. Campus should use caution in implementing these special, technical prequalification documents, because it will eliminate some competition and may result in too few bidders. Statutes promote competition. CPDC's Prequalification Coordinator will perform this service for the campus; contact the Prequalification Coordinator to work out the details.

References:

Forms/Templates:

  • Job Order Contract Supplementary Prequalification, form no. 703.11JOC
  • Technical Prequalification for $5-10M Projects PT1, form no. 703.11TECH
  • Technical Prequalification for $5-10M Projects PT2, form no. 703.11TECH

Subcontractor Prequalification

Description:

CPDC has implemented a subcontractor prequalification for large, technical projects. Generally, mechanical, electrical or plumbing trades are the only trades to be prequalified, but campuses may elect to prequalify other trades such as food services or swimming pools. CPDC Prequalification Coordinator will perform this service for the campuses. When a campus requires a subcontractor prequalification, campus shall so state this requirement in the Notice to Contractors, and expand upon in Division One. Once the subcontractors are prequalified, the campus shall issue an addendum that identifies the prequalified contractors by trade. Bidders may only use subcontractors from this listing.

Note:  for CM at Risk, Collaborative Design-Build, and Design-Build projects, it is mandatory for the CM or DB to prequalify its major trades (mechanical, electrical, plumbing, or other trade whose subcontract value is equal to or greater than 5% of the overall construction cost. The CM and DB administer the prequalification themselves, but keep the Trustees involved by transmitting to them lists of qualified trade contractors. CM/DB wishing to advertise using the PlanetBids CSU Public Solicitation Portal are to contact: 

Alan Zavian alan@planetbids.com (818) 992-1771 ext. 112.

References:

Forms/Templates:

  • Subcontractor Prequalification Pt. 1 form 703.11sub
  • Subcontractor Prequalification Pt. 2 form 703.11sub

Campus Prequalification-related Responsibilities

Description:

When preparing to advertise the project, using the appropriate notice to contractors form for the project delivery method, campuses shall e-mail project notices to contractors to the Prequalification Coordinator, at cocm.prequal@calstate.edu.

Campus is responsible to include in the project advertisement any project specific or technical prequalification requirements. In consultation with the Prequalification Coordinator, campus shall draft the supplemental prequalification application, include it in the specification, and post the application online, for bidder access.

Campus shall not post the project's bid proposal package online unless it has a "sample" overlay, at least for the bid proposal form in accordance with Public Contract Code section 10764.

References:

Forms/Templates:​

  • Notice to Contractors