Recognition of Civic Organizations in the Prosecution of Community Improvement Projects.
Section 7
SEC. 7. Recognition of Civic Organizations in the Prosecution of Community Improvement Projects.—Whenever the appropriation amounting to not more than fifteen thousand pesos for any project released and made available for expenditure, wholly or partly, such project may be undertaken by administration the provisions of existing laws or regulations to the contrary notwithstanding. When any such project does not require complicated methods of construction or highly specialized techniques, it may be awarded through a negotiated contract to the most concerned civic organization in the locality which has filed an application therefor in the manner herein provided. The application shall be filed by the organization concerned with the District Engineer or his official counterpart, as the case may be, specifying, among other things, the payment to be received for the work. After evaluating in prequalifying bidders and awarding contracts, no bid the offer and the terms proposed by comparing them with the corresponding program of work and estimate, the project may be awarded by the official concerned to the applicant through a negotiated contract for an amount not to exceed ninety percent of the cost of the work as originally estimated and programmed pursuant to section six of this Act. In case two or more civic organizations offer to undertake the project, the official concerned shall award the contract to the organization offering the lowest quotation, determined by sealed bidding to be opened in the municipal building of the municipality where the project is located within ten days, but not earlier than seven days, after notice of such bidding is posted on the public bulletin board of said municipality: Provided, That in prequalifying bidders and awarding contracts, no bid nor performance bond will be required. The authority of the District Engineer or his official counterpart to undertake any work by administration or through negotiated contract as herein provided for shall be deemed to have been duly secured upon receipt by the Provincial or City Auditor of the official advice to the head of the bureau or office concerned to so prosecute the work. Under no circumstance shall the provisions of this section be construed to deprive the District Engineer or his official counterpart, as the case may be, of his supervisory control over any of the projects referred to in this section or to relieve him of any responsibility, administrative or otherwise, for any defect in procedure, control or technical surveillance, resulting in waste of money, destruction of, or damage to, property or lowering of engineering standards. In cases where the work is undertaken through negotiated contract with a civic organization, the District Engineer, or his counterpart, may not charge against the fund of the project any expense for inspection by him or his assistant but he may designate as his representative and assign to the project as work-inspector any competent craftsman whose compensation and travel expenses for the duration of the assignment shall be chargeable against the funds of the project but not against the contract and shall not exceed one half of one per cent of the contract price. The District Engineer, or his official counterpart, may make any other suitable arrangement to enable him to maintain supervisory control over the project without however exceeding the compensation limitation herein imposed.