Bill Description: Senate Bill 1081 would generally require professional service providers to disclose their fee schedule when seeking a government contract.

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Does it in any way restrict public access to information related to government activity or otherwise compromise government transparency, accountability, or election integrity? Conversely, does it increase public access to information related to government activity or increase government transparency, accountability, or election integrity?

Senate Bill 1081 would amend Section 67-2320, Idaho Code, which governs how the state and its political subdivisions negotiate professional contracts for engineering, architectural, landscape architecture, construction management, and land surveying services. This section deals with large contracts where the professional service fee is anticipated to be more than $50,000.

The bill would add a provision requiring "a fee schedule from all respondents to be included in the response" to a request for qualifications unless "precluded by federal law."

The bill also says, "The evaluation of such fee schedules shall, at the discretion of the public agency or political subdivision, account for up to twenty-five percent (25%) of the overall scoring to determine the ranking of each respondent."

Requiring service providers to supply fee schedules enables government entities to be more prudent when spending taxpayer dollars for professional services.

Requiring public agencies and political subdivisions to factor the fee schedules into their decision, rather than merely giving them the option, might do more to increase accountability.

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