Advertising Requirements - 1402.3

California State Contracts Register

The California State Contracts Register (CSCR) was established to maximize competition through advertising State purchasing and contracting opportunities. See Government Codes, Sections 14825 et seq. The CSCR is used for the following solicitation functions:

• Posting Solicitations
• Posting of contractor ads to seek prime or sub-contractors.

When Advertising is Required

Solicitations must be advertised in the CSCR unless exempt from advertising. A copy of the published advertisement must be included within the procurement file.  Advertising is required when using the informal or formal competitive acquisition method and if the purchase meets the following criteria:

If the Purchase is Classified	And the Dollar Threshold is Valued
Non-IT Goods	In excess of $50,000.00
IT Goods	In excess of $50,000.00
IT Services	In excess of $4,999.99
IT Goods and/or Services	If the service portion is in excess of $4,999.99 and/or   the goods portion is in excess of $50,000.00

Solicitation Release Date

Solicitations shall not be released prior to publication in the CSCR and must be released after or simultaneously with the contract advertisement publication.

Publish Date vs. Bid or Proposal Due Date

Bid opportunities must be advertised (published in the CSCR) for at least 10 working days prior to the bid due date, per Government Code, Section 14827.2. and Public Contract Code, Section 10302. Requests for a shorter timeframe for the advertisement of the solicitation of goods, shall be submitted in writing as follows:

• Departments with delegated purchasing authority must submit written justification signed by their Purchasing Authority Contact to the CSCR staff.
• DGS/PD One Time Acquisitions (OTA) buyers making purchases on behalf of other State Agencies requesting a shorter timeframe must submit a written justification signed by their respective Branch Chief to the CSCR staff.

Contract Advertising Exemption for Services

An exemption from advertising in the CSCR for services may be obtained if a Contract Advertising Exemption Request (STD.821) is submitted to DGS/PD for review and approval. This form is used when a competitive acquisition is requested to be exempted from advertising or is neither feasible nor possible.

When a competitive acquisition will be conducted, but an advertising exemption is being requested, a Non-Competitive Bid (NCB) contract justification is not required.  However, a written statement must be submitted with the STD.821 that:

• Explains why an exemption is being requested
• Provides supporting information such as why the services cannot be advertised, and
• Includes a list of the contractors that will be solicited.

An NCB contract justification must be submitted with the STD.821 when a competitive acquisition will not be conducted and the department is requesting an advertising exemption.

Additional Exemptions by Statute or Policy

There are types and/or categories of purchases that may be awarded without advertising or competitive bidding as a result of being exempt by statute or policy. Transactions that are exempt from both advertising and competitive bidding either by statute or policy do not require an NCB contract justification and/or a STD. 821.  A statement must be documented in the procurement file to identify the basis of the exemption.