CONTRACTS BETWEEN OFFICE AND CONSULTANTS

(a) If the office elects to contract with federal-level government relations consultants, the office shall adopt written procedures for those contracts. The procedures must include: (1) guidelines regarding contract management; (2) a competitive procurement process and method to assess the effectiveness of a prospective consultant; (3) a technique for assigning a value to a prospective consultant's ability to provide services at a reasonable price and level of experience; (4) a process for determining a prospective consultant's ability to work with influential members of the United States Congress and serve as an effective advocate on behalf of the state; and (5) a method to verify that the interests of a prospective consultant or the consultant's other clients do not create a conflict of interest that may jeopardize the state's interest. (b) A contract between the office and a federal-level government relations consultant must include: (1) an agreement regarding the goals of the service to be provided by the consultant and targeted performance measures; (2) a provision governing the manner in which the contract may be terminated by the parties to the contract; and (3) a provision allowing the office, the state auditor's office as provided by Section 2262.003, and other specified oversight entities to audit the contractor's performance under the contract. (c) All three members of the board must sign any contract between the office and a federal-level government relations consultant.