CHANTILLY, VA — The Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA) recently sent a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives expressing support for one bill and concern over another.
H.R. 1859, the Construction Quality Assurance Act of 2001, has gained the support of the association. The bill proposes a ban on the practice of “bid shopping” on federal projects. According to SMACNA, by banning bid shopping on federal projects in excess of $1 million, the Construction Quality Assurance Act would promote quality construction and prevent abusive construction contracting practices. Also, the organization believes that a ban on bid shopping would in effect require a general contractor to honor his or her submitted list of subcontractors whose estimates have been used to calculate the bid package for the federal construction project.