Virginia Public Procurement Act; purchase programs for local farm or food products.

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide specific penalties for non-compliance with purchase goals.

Virginia Public Procurement Act; Buying Local Farm or Food Products

This bill directs state agencies and certain public bodies to buy local farm or food products and sets goals for the percentage of such purchases by 2035.

What This Bill Does

• Directs all state agencies to implement a purchase program for local farm or food products with a goal of buying at least 20% of their food and food products from local sources by 2035.
• Requires public bodies partially funded by Virginia, where the total yearly cost exceeds $25,000, to buy at least 10% of their food and food products from local sources by 2035.
• Authorizes state agencies to give preference to bidders who use local farm or food products if their prices are no more than 10% higher than the lowest bid.
• Requires state agencies to report annually on the percentage of purchases that come from local sources and any additional support needed to meet these goals.

Who It Names or Affects

• State agencies
• Public bodies partially or wholly funded by Virginia

Terms To Know

Local farm or food products

Products grown in the Commonwealth of Virginia or processed and packaged there using at least one ingredient from the state.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify what happens if agencies do not meet their goals.
• It is unclear how local farms will be supported to reach these targets.

Official Summary Text

Virginia Public Procurement Act; purchase programs for local farm or food products.
Directs all state agencies to implement a purchase program for local farm or food products, defined in the bill, in order to reach a goal by 2035 of 20 percent of all the food and food products purchased by state agencies being local farm or food products. The bill also provides that for any public body partially or wholly funded by the Commonwealth, in which the total contract cost for food or food products is in excess of $25,000 per year, such public body shall implement a purchase program for local farm or food products in order to reach a goal by 2035 of 10 percent of all the food and food products purchased by such public bodies being local farm or food products. In order to meet such goals, state agencies and public bodies are authorized to give a preference to an otherwise qualified bidder who will fulfill the contract through the use of local farm or food products over the lowest responsible bidder so long as the cost included in the bid for the local farm or food products is not more than 10 percent greater than the cost included in the other bids.

Current Bill Text

A BILL to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered
2.2-4323.2
, relating to Virginia Public Procurement Act; purchase programs for local farm or food products.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding a section numbered
2.2-4323.2
as follows:

§
2.2-4323.2
. Purchase programs for local farm
or food
products.

A.
As used in this section, "local farm o
r
food products" means products
(i) grown in the Commonwealth or (ii) processed and packaged in the Commonwealth, using at least one ingredient grown in the Commonwealth.

B.
In order to create, strengthen, and expand local farm and food economies throughout the Commonwealth
, all state agencies shall implement a purchase program for local farm or food products
in order to reach a goal
by 2035
of 20 percent of all
the
food
and food products purchased by state agencies
being local farm or food products.

C. For any
public body
partially or wholly funded by the Commonwealth,
in
which
the total contract cos
t for food or food products is in excess of $25,000 per year
, such public body shall implement a purchase program for local farm or food products in order to reach a goal by 2035 of 10 percent of all the food and food product
s purchased by such public bodies being local farm or food products.

D.
To meet the goals set forth in subsections B and C, when a contract for the purchase of food or food products
is to be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder, an otherwise qualified bidder who will fulfill the contract through the use of local farm or food products may be given preference over other bidders, provided that the
cost included in the bid for the local farm or food products i
s
not more than 10 percent greater than the cost included in the bid that is not for local farm or food products.

E. All state agencies that purchase food and food products shall develop a system to identify the percentage of local farm and food products purchased
, and shall report such findings
along with a description of any additional supports needed to achieve procurement goals
to the
General Assembly
,
the

Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and
the

Department of Education
by December 1, 2026
,
and annually
thereafter
.