Establishes indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity professional services contracting for design services for certain projects (EG NO IMPACT See Note)

House Bill 755 amends Louisiana's professional services contracting law by establishing a distinct statutory framework for indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity professional design services contracts, defined as master contracts allowing agencies to issue multiple separate task orders for different design efforts. The legislation adds a new definition to R.S. 38:2310(11) and substantially revises R.S. 38:2316 to create specific selection procedures, advertising requirements, and operational restrictions for IDIQ design contracts. The core mechanism requires agencies seeking such contracts to notify the division of administration, which evaluates the request and refers it to an appropriate professional selection board among the three Louisiana state boards that oversee architects, engineers, and landscape architects. If a board chairman objects to the referral, an inter-board committee must resolve jurisdictional disputes by majority vote. The designated board must advertise the opportunity once in the official state journal, specifying required services, project details, contract terms, maximum fees, and the number of professionals to be selected, then accept submissions of professional qualifications from interested firms or practitioners.

The legislation directly affects state agencies that procure design services and the professional firms and individuals seeking IDIQ contracts with those agencies. These contracts are limited to a two-year term with a maximum total fee of one million dollars, though amendments to individual task orders may be executed after contract expiration to allow total contract value to exceed one million dollars if necessary to complete ongoing projects, provided the fee itself does not increase. Critically, agencies must maintain a minimum of two IDIQ contracts in effect at all times, and failure to comply triggers a prohibition on issuing further task orders on any remaining single contract. The restrictions exclude design services for new buildings from IDIQ contracting, meaning such projects must follow traditional contracting procedures. The selection boards gain administrative responsibility for evaluating qualifications and making selections according to these new procedures, while the division of administration determines maximum fees and calculation methods.

This legislation operates within the broader framework of Title 38 of Louisiana's Revised Statutes governing public contracts, works, and improvements. The bill explicitly preserves and clarifies the applicability of existing law by confirming that R.S. 38:2311(C) continues to govern certain professional service contracts and that the new IDIQ procedures do not invalidate other contractual arrangements such as design-build or construction manager at risk contracts. The measure clarifies that traditional professional design services selection law applies specifically to construction projects rather than all professional services generally. By establishing IDIQ contracting as a distinct statutory category with its own requirements, the bill creates a specialized procurement mechanism while maintaining the existing distinction that professional design services contracts for projects with estimated budgets of one million dollars or less remain exempt from certain selection board requirements. The effective date provisions reference the Louisiana Constitution, Article III, Section 18, establishing that the legislation becomes effective upon gubernatorial signature or the expiration of the period for the governor to sign or veto.