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Personal Services Contracting Manual for Ports

Report No. 64, January 2009

The Manual is available in Adobe PDF format. (901KB)

In 2008, the Washington State Legislature adopted legislation (codified primarily in Chapter 53.19 RCW) designed to improve public contracting for port districts. The focus of this legislation is personal service contracting by port districts:

The legislature hereby establishes a policy of open competition for all personal service contracts entered into by port districts unless specifically exempted under this chapter. It is further the intent to provide differentiation between the competitive procurement procedures for personal and professional services contracts.

This legislation directed the Municipal Research and Services Center (MRSC) to develop guidelines for the effective and efficient management of personal service contracts in cooperation with the Washington Public Ports Association (WPPA). Chapter 53.19 RCW also directs that ports entering into or amending personal service contracts after January 1, 2010 must follow the policies adopted by their commission, which must be based on those guidelines.

Personal Services Contracting Training

For your convenience, WPPA has developed an on-line training course to help you meet the statute's requirements.

—Table A – Port Commission Checklist
◦required and recommended actions by port commissions
—Table B – Solicitation Guidelines
◦suggested procedures for personal services procurement for ports

 

Personal Services Contracting Manual for Ports Appendices

This set of appendices includes a comprehensive set of sample documents from various port districts and reference materials from non-port entities. All documents are in Adobe PDF format unless otherwise noted.

Disclaimer
The sample documents in these appendices are presented solely as examples of what the contributing port districts have used. No representation is made that these are specifically applicable to another port's unique contracts or contracting procedures. Be sure to review any of these documents with your port's legal counsel before use. (Note: PSC = Personal Services Contracting)