The following article was written by David R. Cook, and was published 13 June by School Construction News. It is reprinted here with permission. Part I, “Key Provisions of School Facility Construction & Design Contracts,” was published 25 April.…
City Governments
Georgia Legislature Passes Additional Procurement Rules
On May 3, 2018, Governor Nathan Deal signed HB 899 into law, officially making it Act 389. Act 389 modifies O.C.G.A. § 13-10-4 and § 36-91-23 relating to public works bidding and contracts of state and local governments, respectively. Both …
New Local Government Procurement Law Requires Consultant Disclosure – UPDATED
Article by Taylor Orgeron, Associate Attorney at AHC Law
In the final hours of Sine Die, the Georgia Legislature passed House Bill 995. This legislation, which is currently awaiting the Governor’s signature, is directed to local governments’ procurement matters. It …
Georgia Bill Seeks to Limit Sovereign Immunity
State and local governments enjoy the protection of sovereign immunity. It may be waived only by a constitutional amendment or by act of the legislature. As discussed in a prior post, it is so broad that it cannot be …
County Sovereign Immunity Invokes Change-Order Ordinance
The recent case of Fulton County v. Soco Contracting Company, Inc. addresses two very interesting questions for local government attorneys. First, can a county ordinance bolster a defense of sovereign immunity against a contractor’s claims? Second, can a county waive …
AHC Attorney David Cook Presents on Public Works Construction and Procurement Law
In two recent events, AHC Attorney David Cook presented on the latest Public Works Construction and Procurement Laws. The Georgia Chapter of the American Public Works Association held its Annual Meeting in Jekyll Island, Georgia on July 25-28, 2017. …
U.S. State Adoption of the National Electrical Code
From the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) website; ESFI.org.
What is the National Electrical Code?
Did you know that as of 2017, there have been 15 revisions of The National Electrical Code since 1975, the year the …
Public Works and Procurement Law and Contracts Seminar
AHC attorney David Cook will be presenting to the APWA Georgia Chapter at its Annual Meeting next week. He will cover Georgia public works and procurement law and contracts. APWA consists of public works professionals, and its Georgia Chapter includes …
Sovereign Immunity Among Political Subdivisions?
The Georgia Supreme Court sent an intergovernmental dispute over taxation of alcoholic beverages back to the lower court. This case arose out of a dispute over the allocation of taxes on alcoholic beverages at the Atlanta airport. The court remanded …
City Potentially Liable for Cost Overrun on Not-to-Exceed Public Works Contract
On a public works construction project, a contractor incurred additional costs and asserted a claim against the city. The city denied the claim because the contract had a not-to-exceed price, and the city council and mayor did not approve contract …