In Ohio, boards of education are required to seek formal bids from potential vendors before they “build, repair, enlarge, improve or demolish a school building” if the cost of the work is over a certain threshold amount.
This time of year, the legal division always receives an increase in questions about whether paving projects must be competitively bid.
Recently, we’ve received questions about whether a school district is required to seek bids for purchasing or installing energy conservation measures on installment payment or shared-savings contracts. Pursuant to RC 3313.372 and RC 3313.373, the short answer is no, school boards of education are not required to seek competitive bids.
The laws stipulate that a:
There are three instances where boards of education must competitively bid:
