An Act To Increase Transparency in the University of Maine System Regarding Procurement and Administrative Costs

Sec. 1. 5 MRSA §1664, sub-§3-C  is enacted to read:

Sec. 2. 5 MRSA §1812, 2nd ¶,  as amended by PL 1991, c. 780, Pt. Y, §67, is further amended to read:

The Trustees of the University of Maine System may authorize the Department of Administrative and Financial Services to act for them in any purchases. If the Department of Administrative and Financial Services purchases for the University of Maine System under this section, the department shall comply with Title 20-A, section 10910.

Sec. 3. 20-A MRSA §10910  is enacted to read:

§ 10910.  Competitive bidding

If the university purchases products or services through competitive bidding as defined in Title 5, section 1825-A, subsection 3 in an amount of $10,000 or more, the university shall post the terms and conditions of the invitation for bid proposals on a publicly accessible website.

SUMMARY

The purpose of this bill is to enhance transparency in funding the University of Maine System. This bill requires that, beginning in fiscal year 2016-17, appropriations and allocations in the state budget document and the budget bills for the Board of Trustees of the University of Maine System must be separated into 2 separate line items: one reflecting those amounts to be allocated to the individual campuses of the University of Maine System and one reflecting those amounts to be used by the University of Maine System for administrative costs. This bill also requires that the terms and conditions of invitations for bid proposals by the University of Maine System for purchases of $10,000 or more be posted on a publicly accessible website.