Washington Works

Competitive Contracting

Contracting out of services “traditionally and historically provided by state employees” is no longer prohibited under Washington Works. Competitive contracting is allowed, with state employees having the opportunity to offer alternatives to contracting and the ability to compete for the work.

Services that go out for bid will be determined by criteria now being developed. The reform act allows any state agency or higher education institution to use competitive contracting to purchase services, however, they must determine that contracting for services will result in cost savings or improved efficiency.

State employees have the opportunity to offer alternatives to contracting. The law also allows employees to form an “Employee Business Unit” and bid on the contract along with private sector providers.

Recognizing that the bid process is unfamiliar to most state employees, the Department of Personnel will partner with the Department of General Administration to develop training to teach employees how to prepare a competitive bid.

The Department of General Administration will adopt rules for competitive contracting by March 2004 and the rules will take effect on June 30, 2005.

For more information, check out the Competitive Contracting Overview or Frequently Asked Questions on Competitive Contracting.

You can also find more details on competitive contracting by visiting General Administration's website.