0321_commissioners_agenda_full_2022

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CABARRUS COUNTY ALTERNATES ή ЊЌЌΏЌ͵ Specifications to carry competitive items; substitution of materials. All architects, engineers, designers, or draftsmen, when providing design services, or writing specifications, directly or indirectly, for materials to be used in any city, county or State work, shall specify in their plans the required performance and design characteristics of such materials. However, when it is impossible or impractical to specify the required performance and design characteristics for such materials, then the architect, engineer, designer or draftsman may use a brand name specification so long as they cite three or more examples of items of equal design or equivalent design, which would establish an acceptable range for items of equal or equivalent design. The specifications shall state clearly that the cited examples are used only to denote the quality standard of product desired and that they do not restrict bidders to a specific brand, make, manufacturer or specific name; that they are used only to set forth and convey to bidders the general style, type, character and quality of product desired; and that equivalent products will be acceptable͵ ŷĻƩĻ źƷ źƭ źƒƦƚƭƭźĬƌĻ Ʒƚ ƭƦĻĭźŅǤ ƦĻƩŅƚƩƒğƓĭĻ ğƓķ ķĻƭźŭƓ ĭŷğƩğĭƷĻƩźƭƷźĭƭ ŅƚƩ ƭǒĭŷ ƒğƷĻƩźğƌƭ ğƓķ źƒƦƚƭƭźĬƌĻ Ʒƚ ĭźƷĻ ƷŷƩĻĻ ƚƩ ƒƚƩĻ źƷĻƒƭ ķǒĻ Ʒƚ ƷŷĻ ŅğĭƷ ƷŷğƷ ƷŷĻƩĻ ğƩĻ ƓƚƷ ƷŷğƷ ƒğƓǤ źƷĻƒƭ ƚŅ ƭźƒźƌğƩ ƚƩ ĻƨǒźǝğƌĻƓƷ ķĻƭźŭƓ źƓ ĭƚƒƦĻƷźƷźƚƓͲ ƷŷĻƓ ğƭ ƒğƓǤ źƷĻƒƭ ğƭ ğƩĻ ğǝğźƌğĬƌĻ ƭŷğƌƌ ĬĻ ĭźƷĻķ͵ On all city, county or State works, the maximum interchangeability and compatibility of cited items shall be required. The brand of product used on a city, county or State work shall not limit competitive bidding on future works. Specifications may list one or more preferred brands as an alternate to the base bid in limited circumstances. {ƦĻĭźŅźĭğƷźƚƓƭ ĭƚƓƷğźƓźƓŭ ğ ƦƩĻŅĻƩƩĻķ ĬƩğƓķ ğƌƷĻƩƓğƷĻ ǒƓķĻƩ Ʒŷźƭ ƭĻĭƷźƚƓ ƒǒƭƷ źķĻƓƷźŅǤ ƷŷĻ ƦĻƩŅƚƩƒğƓĭĻ ƭƷğƓķğƩķƭ ƷŷğƷ ƭǒƦƦƚƩƷ ƷŷĻ ƦƩĻŅĻƩĻƓĭĻ. Performance standards for the preference must be approved in advance by the owner in an open meeting. Any alternate approved by the owner shall be approved only where (i) ƷŷĻ ƦƩĻŅĻƩƩĻķ ğƌƷĻƩƓğƷĻ Ǟźƌƌ ƦƩƚǝźķĻ ĭƚƭƷ ƭğǝźƓŭƭͲ ƒğźƓƷğźƓ ƚƩ źƒƦƩƚǝĻ ƷŷĻ ŅǒƓĭƷźƚƓźƓŭ ƚŅ ğƓǤ ƦƩƚĭĻƭƭ ƚƩ ƭǤƭƷĻƒ ğŅŅĻĭƷĻķ ĬǤ ƷŷĻ ƦƩĻŅĻƩƩĻķ źƷĻƒ ƚƩ źƷĻƒƭͲ ƚƩ ĬƚƷŷͲ ğƓķ ΛźźΜ ğ ƆǒƭƷźŅźĭğƷźƚƓ źķĻƓƷźŅǤźƓŭ ƷŷĻƭĻ ĭƩźƷĻƩźğ źƭ ƒğķĻ ğǝğźƌğĬƌĻ źƓ ǞƩźƷźƓŭ Ʒƚ ƷŷĻ ƦǒĬƌźĭ. Substitution of materials, items, or equipment of equal or equivalent design shall be submitted to the architect or engineer for approval or disapproval; such approval or disapproval shall be made by the architect or engineer prior to the opening of bids. The purpose of this statute is to mandate and encourage free and open competition on public contracts. (1933, c. 66, s. 3; 1951, c. 1104, s. 5; 1993, c. 334, s. 7.1; 2002-107, s. 5; 2002-159, s. 64(c).)