S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
8394
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
I N S E N A T E
June 7, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. STEWART-COUSINS -- read twice and ordered printed,
and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
AN ACT in relation to enacting the "county of Westchester public works
investment act"; and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon
the expiration thereof
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
the "county of Westchester public works investment act".
§ 2. For the purposes of this act, the following terms shall have the
following meanings:
1. (a) "Authorized entity" shall mean the Westchester county depart-
ment of public works and the Westchester county department of transpor-
tation.
(b) If otherwise applicable, authorized projects undertaken by the
authorized entity shall be subject to section 101 of the general munici-
pal law; provided, however, that an authorized entity may fulfill its
obligations under section 101 of the general municipal law by requiring
the contractor to prepare separate specifications in accordance with
section 101 of the general municipal law, as the case may be.
2. "Authorized project" shall mean, in conformity with the require-
ments of this act, any installation, construction, demolition, recon-
struction, excavation, rehabilitation, repair, and renovation in
connection with the following:
(a) a public building known as the "Westchester County Labs and
Research Building", located at 10 Dana Road in the hamlet of Valhalla in
the town of Mount Pleasant, Westchester county, SBL No. 116.16-1-1 14;
(b) a public maintenance facility known as the "Westchester County
Department of Public Works Maintenance Facility", located at Hammond
House Road behind 65 Hammond House Road in the hamlet of Valhalla in the
town of Mount Pleasant, Westchester county, SBL No. 116.12-1-14;
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10223-03-5
S. 8394 2
(c) a public building known as the "Westchester County Emergency
Services Building", located at 4 Dana Road in the hamlet of Valhalla in
the town of Mount Pleasant, Westchester county, SBL No. 116.16-1-1;
(d) a public building known as the "Westchester County Public Safety
Building", located at 1 Saw Mill River Road in the hamlet of Hawthorne
in the town of Mount Pleasant, Westchester county, SBL No. 106.18-1-2;
3. "Best value" shall mean the basis for awarding contracts for
services to a proposer that optimizes quality, cost and efficiency,
price and performance criteria, which may include, but is not limited
to:
(1) The quality of the proposer's performance on previous projects;
(2) The timeliness of the proposer's performance on previous projects;
(3) The level of customer satisfaction with the proposer's performance
on previous projects;
(4) The proposer's record of performing previous projects on budget
and ability to minimize cost overruns;
(5) The proposer's ability to limit change orders;
(6) The proposer's ability to prepare appropriate project plans;
(7) The proposer's technical capacities;
(8) The individual qualifications of the proposer's key personnel;
(9) The proposer's ability to assess and manage risk and minimize risk
impact;
(10) The proposer's financial capability;
(11) The proposer's ability to comply with applicable requirements,
including the provisions of articles 145, 147 and 148 of the education
law;
(12) The proposer's past record of compliance with federal, state and
local laws, rules, licensing requirements, where applicable, and execu-
tive orders, including but not limited to compliance with the labor law
and other applicable labor and prevailing wage laws, article 15-A of the
executive law, and any other applicable laws concerning minority- and
women-owned business enterprise participation;
(13) The proposer's record of complying with existing labor standards,
maintaining harmonious labor relations, and protecting the health and
safety of workers and payment of wages above any locally-defined living
wage; and
(14) A quantitative factor to be used in evaluation of bids or offers
for awarding of contracts for bidders or offerers that are certified as
minority- or women-owned business enterprises pursuant to article 15-A
of the executive law. Where the authorized entity identifies a quanti-
tative factor pursuant to this paragraph, the authorized entity must
specify that businesses certified as minority- or women-owned business
enterprises pursuant to article 15-A of the executive law, as well as
those certified as minority- or women-owned business enterprises pursu-
ant to local law are eligible to qualify for such factor. Nothing in
this paragraph shall be construed as a requirement that such businesses
be concurrently certified as minority- or women-owned business enter-
prises under article 15-A of the executive law to qualify for such quan-
titative factors. Such basis shall reflect, wherever possible, objective
and quantifiable analysis.
4. "Cost plus" shall mean compensating a contractor for the cost to
complete a contract by reimbursing actual costs for labor, equipment and
materials plus an additional amount for overhead and profit.
5. "Design-build contract" shall mean a contract for the design and
construction of a public work with a single entity, which may be a team
comprised of separate entities.
S. 8394 3
6. "Project labor agreement" shall have the meaning set forth in
subdivision 1 of section 222 of the labor law. A project labor agreement
shall require participation in apprentice training programs in accord-
ance with paragraph (e) of subdivision 2 of such section.
§ 3. Notwithstanding any general, special or local law, rule or regu-
lation to the contrary, including but not limited to article 5-A of the
general municipal law, and in conformity with the requirements of this
act, and only when a project labor agreement is performed in accordance
with section 222 of the labor law, an authorized entity may use the
alternative delivery method referred to as a design-build contract for
an authorized project in accordance with this act.
§ 4. (a) A contractor selected by such an authorized entity to enter
into a design-build contract shall be selected through a two-step meth-
od, as follows:
(1) Step one. Generation of a list of responding entities that have
demonstrated the general capability to perform the design-build
contract. Such list shall consist of a specified number of responding
entities, as determined by an authorized entity, and shall be generated
based upon the authorized entity's review of responses to a publicly
advertised request for qualifications. The authorized entity's request
for qualifications shall include a general description of the public
work, the maximum number of responding entities to be included on the
list, the selection criteria to be used and the relative weight of each
criteria in generating the list. Such selection criteria shall include
the qualifications and experience of the design and construction team,
organization, demonstrated responsibility, ability of the team or of a
member or members of the team to comply with applicable requirements,
including the provisions of articles 145, 147 and 148 of the education
law, past record of compliance with the labor law, and such other quali-
fications the authorized entity deems appropriate, which may include but
are not limited to project understanding, financial capability and
record of past performance. The authorized entity shall evaluate and
rate all responding entities to the request for qualifications. Based
upon such ratings, the authorized entity shall list the responding enti-
ties that shall receive a request for proposals in accordance with para-
graph 2 of this subdivision. To the extent consistent with applicable
federal law, the authorized entity shall consider, when awarding any
contract pursuant to this section, the participation of: (i) responding
entities that are certified as minority- or women-owned business enter-
prises pursuant to article 15-A of the executive law, or certified
pursuant to local law as minority- or women-owned business enterprises;
and (ii) small business concerns identified pursuant to subdivision (b)
of section 139-g of the state finance law.
(2) Step two. Selection of the proposal which is the best value to the
authorized entity. The authorized entity shall issue a request for
proposals to the responding entities listed pursuant to paragraph 1 of
this subdivision. If such a responding entity consists of a team of
separate entities, the entities that comprise such a team must remain
unchanged from the responding entity as listed pursuant to paragraph 1
of this subdivision unless otherwise approved by the authorized entity.
The request for proposals shall set forth the public work's scope of
work, and other requirements, as determined by the authorized entity,
which may include separate goals for work under the contract to be
performed by businesses certified as minority- or women-owned business
enterprises pursuant to article 15-A of the executive law, or certified
pursuant to local law as minority- or women-owned business enterprises.
S. 8394 4
The request for proposals shall also specify the criteria to be used to
evaluate the responses and the relative weight of each of such criteria.
Such criteria shall include the proposal's cost, the quality of the
proposal's solution, the qualifications and experience of the proposer,
and other factors deemed pertinent by the authorized entity, which may
include, but shall not be limited to, the proposal's manner and schedule
of project implementation, the proposer's ability to complete the work
in a timely and satisfactory manner, maintenance costs of the completed
public work, maintenance of traffic approach, and community impact. Any
contract awarded pursuant to this act shall be awarded to a responsive
and responsible proposer, which, in consideration of these and other
specified criteria deemed pertinent, offers the best value, as deter-
mined by the authorized entity. The request for proposals shall include
a statement that proposers shall designate in writing those portions of
the proposal that contain trade secrets or other proprietary information
that are to remain confidential; that the material designated as confi-
dential shall be readily separable from the proposal. Nothing in this
subdivision shall be construed to prohibit the authorized entity from
negotiating final contract terms and conditions including cost. All
proposals submitted shall be scored according to the criteria listed in
the request for proposals and such final scores shall be published on
the authorized entity's website.
(b) An authorized entity awarding a design-build contract to a
contractor offering the best value may but shall not be required to use
the following types of contracts:
(1) A cost-plus not to exceed guaranteed maximum price form of
contract in which the authorized entity shall be entitled to monitor and
audit all costs. In establishing the schedule and process for determin-
ing a guaranteed maximum price, the contract between the authorized
entity and the contractor shall:
(i) Describe the scope of the work and the cost of performing such
work,
(ii) Include a detailed line item cost breakdown,
(iii) Include a list of all drawings, specifications and other infor-
mation on which the guaranteed maximum price is based,
(iv) Include the dates of substantial and final completion on which
the guaranteed maximum price is based, and
(v) Include a schedule of unit prices; or
(2) A lump sum contract in which the contractor agrees to accept a set
dollar amount for a contract which comprises a single bid without
providing a cost breakdown for all costs such as for equipment, labor,
materials, as well as such contractor's profit for completing all items
of work comprising the public work.
§ 5. Any contract entered into pursuant to this act shall include a
clause requiring that any professional services regulated by articles
145, 147 and 148 of the education law shall be performed and stamped and
sealed, where appropriate, by a professional licensed in accordance with
the appropriate articles of the education law.
§ 6. Construction with respect to each contract entered into by an
authorized entity pursuant to this act shall be deemed a "public work"
to be performed in accordance with the provisions of article 8 of the
labor law, as well as subject to sections 200, 240, 241 and 242 of such
law and enforcement of prevailing wage requirements pursuant to applica-
ble law or, for projects or public works receiving federal aid, applica-
ble federal requirements for prevailing wage. Any contract entered into
pursuant to this act shall include a clause requiring the selected
S. 8394 5
design builder to obligate every tier of contractor working on the
public work to comply with the project labor agreement referenced in
section three of this act, and shall include project labor agreement
compliance monitoring and enforcement provisions consistent with the
applicable project labor agreement.
§ 7. Each contract entered into by an authorized entity pursuant to
this act shall comply with the objectives and goals with regard to
minority- and women-owned business enterprises, and, for projects or
public works receiving federal aid, applicable federal requirements for
disadvantaged business enterprises or minority- and women-owned business
enterprises.
§ 8. Any authorized project undertaken by an authorized entity pursu-
ant to this act shall be subject to the requirements of article 8 of the
environmental conservation law, and, where applicable, the requirements
of the National Environmental Policy Act.
§ 9. (a) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, all
rights or benefits, including terms and conditions of employment, and
protection of civil service and collective bargaining status of all
employees of authorized entities solely in connection with public works
undertaken by an authorized entity pursuant to this act, shall be
preserved and protected.
(b) Nothing in this act shall result in the: (1) displacement of any
currently employed worker or loss of position, including partial
displacement such as a reduction in the hours of non-overtime work,
wages or employment benefits, or result in the impairment of existing
collective bargaining agreements, (2) transfer of existing duties and
functions related to maintenance and operations currently performed by
existing employees of authorized entities to a contractor, or (3) trans-
fer of future duties and functions ordinarily performed by employees of
the authorized entities to the contracting entity.
(c) Employees of authorized entities using design-build contracts
serving in positions in newly created titles shall be assigned to the
appropriate bargaining unit. Nothing contained in this act shall be
construed to affect (1) the existing rights of employees of such enti-
ties pursuant to an existing collective bargaining agreement, (2) the
existing representational relationships among employee organizations
representing employees of such entities, or (3) the bargaining relation-
ships between such entities and such employee organizations.
(d) Without limiting contractors' obligations under design-build
contracts to issue their own initial certifications of substantial
completion and final completion, public employees of authorized entities
shall review and determine whether the work performed by contractors is
acceptable and has been performed in accordance with the applicable
design-build contracts, and if such public employees so determine, such
public employees shall accept contractors' substantial or final
completion of the public works as applicable. Performance by authorized
entities of any review described in this subdivision shall not be
construed to modify or limit contractors' obligations to perform the
work in strict accordance with the applicable design-build contracts or
the contractors' or any subcontractors' obligations or liabilities under
any law.
§ 10. The submission of a proposal or responses or the execution of a
design-build contract pursuant to this act shall not be construed to be
a violation of section 6512 of the education law.
S. 8394 6
§ 11. Nothing contained in this act shall limit the right or obli-
gation of any authorized entity to comply with the provisions of any
existing contract or to award contracts as otherwise provided by law.
§ 12. A report shall be submitted no later than June 30, 2026 and
annually thereafter, to the governor, the temporary president of the
senate, the speaker of the assembly, the county executive and the chair
of the board of legislators for an authorized entity containing informa-
tion regarding each design-build contract procured by such authorized
entity pursuant to this act. Such report shall include a description of
each such design-build contract, information regarding the procurement
process for each such design-build contract including the list of
responding entities that demonstrated the general capability to perform
the design-build contract pursuant to paragraph 1 of subdivision (a) of
section four of this act, the total cost of each design-build contract,
an explanation of the estimated savings resulting from the design-build
method, and the participation rate of and total dollar value of monies
paid to minority- and women-owned business enterprises under such
design-build contract.
§ 13. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire and be
deemed repealed 3 years after such date, provided that, public works
with requests for qualifications issued prior to such repeal shall be
permitted to continue under this act notwithstanding such repeal.
