A Southwest Washington lawmaker’s bill to crack down on government contract abuses, as well as streamline the contracting process, received a hearing in the Legislature on Thursday.
Washington state spends $1 billion a year to contract with about 300 companies that provide the government with the goods and services it needs, including vehicles, health care and office supplies. It has a competitive bids process that allows businesses to try to sell goods and services to the state, but those testifying in support of the bill on Thursday said the system has problems, including nepotism and contract breaches.
State Rep. Sharon Wylie, D-Vancouver, recently filed House Bill 2452, which aims to set better guidelines that all state agencies must follow when choosing a contract. Her proposal also would create a website to make it easier for small businesses to bid on contracts and submit paperwork to the state.
“Becoming a vendor and doing business for the state has been getting more complex over the years, as well as time-consuming,” Wylie said during the hearing. “This prevents many small businesses from participating.”
