Lawmakers will consider a bill this year that would give Nebraska-based companies an edge over out-of-state companies when bidding on state contracts
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Lawmakers will consider a bill this year that would give Nebraska-based companies an edge over out-of-state companies when bidding on state contracts.
State Sen. Heath Mello of Omaha introduced the "Buy Nebraska Act." He proposed the measure after he was contacted by a south Omaha data-entry firm, which had lost out on a Nebraska Game and Parks Commission contract by less than $20. The contract went to an out-of-state business.
Mello says 46 other states have some type of resident-bidder preferences in either their laws or procurement rules, and his bill is intended to keep jobs in Nebraska.
The state awards more than $2 billion in contracts for goods and services each year. Mello says the state doesn't track how much of that money flows out of Nebraska.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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