An Alabama Senate committee has stopped a bill that would have allowed the construction of public buildings without going through the traditional competition with sealed bids.
The chairman of the Senate Commerce, Transportation and Utilities Committee got his committee to vote Thursday to carry over indefinitely the bill that would create a new option for constructing public buildings. Chairman Gerald Allen of Tuscaloosa said the construction industry was too divided over the bill, and the committee decided not to get involved.
The bill would have allowed a government agency to pick a construction manager from qualified companies and then agree on a maximum price for a project. If the project came in over the maximum, the construction manager would have to pick up the extra cost, rather than the government.