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Read. Follow. Verify.Idaho updates state procurement laws to govern multi-vendor contracts, vendor debarment, and protest bonds
Last action · April 2, 2026: Reported Signed by Governor on April 2, 2026 Session Law Chapter 283 Effective: 07/01/2026
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What This Bill Does
Idaho revises state purchasing and procurement laws, establishing formal criteria for s, requiring mandatory cure notices before vendor debarment, and instituting protest bonds for formal specification challenges effective July 1, 2026.
State agencies and vendors bidding on public contracts must navigate new requirements for contract awards, recurring purchase analyses, and financial bonds when protesting solicitations.
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
State Agencies
State agencies must conduct annual evaluations for multiple-award purchases and comply with new contracting and review procedures.
Vendors and Bidders
Vendors face new debarment cure periods, mandatory protest bonding requirements, and post-employment restrictions for former public officials.
Division of Purchasing Administrator
The administrator receives expanded authority to issue multiple-award contracts, issue cure notices, and retain protest bonds for frivolous filings.
Key Facts
- The administrator may award a multiple-award contract to two or more bidders when necessary to ensure adequate delivery, service, or product compatibility.
- State agencies making recurring purchases under a multiple-award contract must perform a total cost of ownership and compatibility analysis at least annually and notify the administrator.
- The administrator may debar a vendor for up to three years upon finding a performance failure, such as unsatisfactory contract performance or filing three or more frivolous bid protests within 24 months.
- Before debarment or disqualification for performance failures not posing an immediate risk, the administrator must issue a written cure notice giving the vendor 14 calendar days to correct the deficiency.
Show all 10 facts
- Any vendor filing a formal written protest or appeal regarding bid specifications or nonresponsive bids must post a protest bond of 1 percent for contracts under $10,000,000, and 0.5 percent (capped at $10,000,000) for contracts valued at $10,000,000 or more.
- If a protest or appeal is denied and found to be a frivolous protest, the state retains the protest bond in its entirety as liquidated damages.
- Former elected public officials and former state employees who participated in a solicitation process are restricted from participating in the solicitation or being employed by a winning vendor within 365 days.
- Vendors, vendor employees, or representatives acting on behalf of a vendor must report to the secretary of state any financial expenditures over $50.00, including meals and travel reimbursements.
- Environmental, social, and governance standards may not be used as a qualification for responsibility when evaluating bidders.
- For acquisitions involving federal funding requiring CMS approval, the administrator must ensure final vendor negotiations and contracts are completed prior to federal review submission.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if a vendor files a protest against bid specifications?
Are state agencies required to do anything special when purchasing under a multiple-award contract?
Can a former state official immediately work for a vendor that wins a state contract?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
17 actions- Apr 2, 2026EnrolledReported Signed by Governor on April 2, 2026 Session Law Chapter 283 Effective: 07/01/2026
- Apr 1, 2026Delivered to Governor at 12:50 p.m. on April 1, 2026
- Apr 1, 2026Returned Signed by the President; Ordered Transmitted to Governor
- Mar 31, 2026Signed by President; returned to House
- Mar 31, 2026Received from the House enrolled/signed by Speaker
- Mar 31, 2026Reported Enrolled; Signed by Speaker; Transmitted to Senate
Show 11 earlier actions
- Mar 31, 2026FloorReturned from Senate Passed; to JRA for Enrolling
- Mar 30, 2026FloorRead third time in full – PASSED - 21-14-0 AYES – Adams, Anthon, Bernt, Blaylock, Burtenshaw, Cook, Den Hartog, Galloway, Guthrie, Harris, Lakey, Lent, Rabe, Ricks, Ruchti, Semmelroth, Taylor, VanOrden, Ward-Engelking, Wintrow, Woodward NAYS – Bjerke(Bjerke), Carlson, Foreman, Grow, Hart, Keyser, Kohl, Lenney, Nichols, Okuniewicz, Shippy, Toews, Zito, Zuiderveld Absent and excused – None Floor Sponsor - Blaylock Title apvd - to House
- Mar 26, 2026Read second time; filed for Third Reading
- Mar 25, 2026Reported out of Committee with Do Pass Recommendation; Filed for second reading
- Mar 20, 2026IntroducedIntroduced, read first time; referred to: State Affairs
- Mar 20, 2026FloorReceived from the House passed; filed for first reading
- Mar 19, 2026FloorRules Suspended: Ayes 64 Nays 4 Abs/Excd 2, read in full as required – PASSED - 57-11-2 AYES – Alfieri, Berch, Bingham, Boyle, Bruce, Burgoyne, Cannon, Cheatum, Church, Cornilles, Crane(12), Crane(13), Dygert, Egbert, Ehardt, Ehlers, Erickson, Fuhriman, Furniss, Galaviz, Gannon, Garner, Hall(Stone), Handy, Haws, Healey, Hill, Holtzclaw, Manwaring, Marmon, Mathias, McCann, Mendive, Mickelsen, Miller, Mitchell, Monks, Nelsen, Palmer, Petzke, Pickett, Pohanka, Rasor, Raybould, Raymond, Rubel, Sauter, Shirts, Skaug, Tanner(13), Tanner(14), Thompson, Vander Woude, Veile, Weber, Wheeler, Mr. Speaker NAYS – Barbieri, Beiswenger, Cayler, Harris, Hawkins, Hostetler, Price, Redman, Scott, Shepherd, Wisniewski Absent – Green, Leavitt Floor Sponsor - Raybould Title apvd - to Senate
- Mar 19, 2026Read second time; Filed for Third Reading
- Mar 18, 2026Reported out of Committee with Do Pass Recommendation, Filed for Second Reading
- Mar 13, 2026CommitteeReported Printed and Referred to State Affairs
- Mar 12, 2026IntroducedIntroduced, read first time, referred to JRA for Printing
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Introduction of Formal Protest Bonds
The bill implements mandatory percentage-based protest bonds for specification challenges and nonresponsive bid appeals, deterring frivolous filings.
Connected Entities
Sources
legislature.idaho.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance75How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy25Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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