Competitive bidding; repairs of vehicles under $15,000 for certain awarding authorities exempt

Energy

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Coleman-Madison
Last action: 2026-02-17
Official status: Enacted
Effective date: 2026-10-01

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Exemption from Competitive Bidding for Small Vehicle Repairs

This law allows certain local government groups to skip competitive bidding rules when fixing vehicles that weigh 12,000 pounds or less and cost $15,000 or less per repair.

What This Bill Does

Adds Section 41-16-52.1 to the Code of Alabama 1975.
Exempts specific local government bodies from competitive bidding rules for vehicle repairs under certain conditions.
Requires these groups to get and document price estimates from at least two different vendors before hiring one.
States that the $15,000 limit applies to each repair job separately and cannot be combined with other jobs.
Allows officials to use this exemption by citing this law on purchase orders or following a formal policy.

Who It Names or Affects

County commissions
Governing bodies of municipalities (cities)
Instrumentalities such as waterworks, sewer, and gas boards

Terms To Know

Awarding authority: A county commission, city government, or a utility board like those for water, sewer, or gas.
Gross vehicle weight rating: The maximum total weight of the vehicle; this law limits it to 12,000 pounds or less.

Limits and Unknowns

This exemption only applies if a single repair job costs $15,000 or less.
The rule does not apply to vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating over 12,000 pounds.
Employees cannot use this option without prior approval from the governing body unless there is an official policy allowing it.

Bill History

2026-02-17 Senate
Enacted
2026-02-10 House
Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 347 (Yeas 98, Nays 3)
2026-02-10 House
Third Reading in Second House (Yeas 100, Nays 2)
2026-02-10 House
Signature Requested
2026-02-10 Senate
Delivered to Governor
2026-02-10 Senate
Enrolled
2026-02-10 Senate
Ready to Enroll
2026-01-29 House
Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar
2026-01-28 House
Reported Out of Committee Second House
2026-01-22 House
Pending Committee Action in Second House
2026-01-22 House
Read for the first time and referred to the House Committee on County and Municipal Government
2026-01-21 Senate
Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 79 (Yeas 29, Nays 0)
2026-01-21 Senate
Third Reading in House of Origin (Yeas 29, Nays 0)
2026-01-20 Senate
Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar
2026-01-20 Senate
Reported Out of Committee House of Origin
2026-01-13 Senate
Pending Committee Action in House of Origin
2026-01-13 Senate
Read for the first time and referred to the Senate Committee on County and Municipal Government

Official Summary Text

This act adds Section 41-16-52.1 to the Code of Alabama 1975, to provide that the repair of vehicles under certain conditions by local governing bodies and their instrumentalities is exempt from competitive bidding requirements.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

SB115 ENROLLED
Page 0
SB115
SLZ2D55-2
By Senators Coleman-Madison, Smitherman, Elliott, Albritton
RFD: County and Municipal Government
First Read: 13-Jan-26
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SB115 Enrolled
Page 1
First Read: 13-Jan-26
Enrolled, An Act,
Relating to competitive bidding; adding Section
41-16-52.1 to the Code of Alabama 1975, to exempt certain
awarding authorities from competitive bidding requirements for
repairs of vehicles under certain circumstances.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. Section 41-16-52.1 is added to the Code of
Alabama 1975, to read as follows:
§41-16-52.1
(a) For purposes of this section, the term "awarding
authority" means any county commission, governing body of a
municipality, or an instrumentality of a county or
municipality, including a waterworks board, a sewer board, a
gas board, and other like utility boards and commissions.
(b) All expenditures of funds, made by or on the behalf
of any awarding authority, for repair parts and the repair of
vehicles shall be made at the option of the awarding authority
without regard to this article when the following conditions
are met:
(1) The vehicle has a gross vehicle weight rating of
12,000 pounds or less.
(2) The incident of repair does not involve more than
fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000).
(3) The awarding authority solicits and documents price
estimates from at least two different vendors prior to
awarding the contract.
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SB115 Enrolled
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awarding the contract.
(c) The exemption provided under this section shall
apply to each vehicle repaired, and the exempted expenditure
shall not be aggregated with the expenditures of any other
incidents of repair.
(d)(1) The option provided by subsection (b) may be
exercised by the awarding authority by specific reference to
this section on any purchase orders and purchase commitments
executed by the awarding authority.
(2) The option shall not be exercised by any employee,
agent, or servant unless done so after having received
official prior approval of the respective awarding authority
or unless exercised pursuant to a formal policy adopted by the
awarding authority setting out conditions and restrictions
under which the option shall be exercised.
Section 2. This act shall become effective on October
1, 2026.
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SB115 Enrolled
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1, 2026.
________________________________________________
President and Presiding Officer of the Senate
________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Representatives
SB115
Senate 21-Jan-26
I hereby certify that the within Act originated in and passed
the Senate.
Patrick Harris,
Secretary.
House of Representatives
Passed: 10-Feb-26
By: Senator Coleman-Madison
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