Updated procurement resources have arrived

Below is more information about each of SAO's updated procurement resources, and the improvements made.

Buying and Bidding Guide

This guide sets out the basics of purchasing and bidding to help you comply with state law, no matter your government type, size or complexity. This update includes several changes to improve clarity and ensure compliance. In this update, we’ve:

• Expanded guidance for prevailing wage requirements
• Updated reference tables for bid law thresholds and bid bonds
• Updated the responsible bidder criteria section based on recent legislation
• Added a unit price contracting section
• Added several bid law exceptions for public works projects
• Updated day labor information for counties
• Expanded the architectural and engineering services procurement section

Best Practices for Change Orders

Change orders don’t go through a public bidding process. That means governments need strong controls and clear guidance to manage change order pricing. This resource provides best practices for accomplishing this task, as well as managing and reviewing change order costs. In this update, we’ve:

• Added advice for construction contract change orders
• Revised the list of considerations to enhance your change order review process
• Added a new best practice for negotiating and approving change orders before work begins
• Added a new best practice for analyzing change order activity to see where you can improve
• Significantly expanded the policy development section 

Responsible Bidder Checklist 

Use this optional tool to evaluate whether your bidder complies with the responsibility criteria outlined in state law. You should perform this evaluation after you receive bids and before you award a contract. In this update, we’ve:

• Converted this checklist to an Excel spreadsheet format
• Added information to help you comply with the 2025 law changes, when necessary
• Added a checklist item for optional supplemental criteria and linked to a key resource from the Capital Projects Advisory Review Board
• Moved most of the frequently asked question information into the Buying and Bidding Guide referenced above

You can find all of our procurement resources in our Resource Library, and directly linked below:

• Buying and Bidding Guide (PDF)
• Best Practices for Change Orders (PDF)
• Responsible Bidder Checklist

For help

Remember, we are here to help. If you have specific questions, please submit them using our Help Desk in the client portal.

If you need broader support, we also have financial management specialists at the Center for Government Innovation, a service of the Office of the Washington State Auditor, available to talk with you about best practices, resources or internal controls. For assistance, email Center@sao.wa.gov.