Public agency contract provisions; rules for determining reasonable pricing

Sec. 2. (a) Each public agency shall require that every contract for the construction, reconstruction, alteration, repair, improvement or maintenance of public works contain a provision that, if any steel or foundry products are to be used or supplied in the performance of the contract or subcontract, only steel or foundry products made in the United States shall be used or supplied in the performance of the contract or any of the subcontracts unless the head of the public agency determines, in writing, that the cost of steel or foundry products is considered to be unreasonable. (b) The head of each public agency shall issue rules which provide that, for purposes of subsection (a), the bid or offered price of any steel or foundry products of domestic origin is not considered unreasonable if the price does not exceed the sum of: (1) the bid or offered price of like steel or foundry products of foreign origin (including any applicable duty); plus (2) a differential of fifteen percent (15%) of the bid or offered price of the steel or foundry products of foreign origin. However, the fifteen percent (15%) differential provided by subdivision (2) may be increased to twenty-five percent (25%), if the head of the public agency determines that use of steel or foundry products of domestic origin would benefit the local or state economy through improved job security and employment opportunity. Whenever the head of a public agency determines that the differential should be increased above fifteen percent (15%) for a particular project, the head of the agency shall file a report with the governor and the legislative services agency detailing the reasons for such determination and the probable impact on the economy of the use of domestic steel or foundry castings in the project. A report filed under this subsection with the legislative services agency must be in an electronic format under IC 5-14-6.