STARTING PROJECTS - 6847

No Public Works Board (PWB) action is required to start projects. However, Finance or the Department of General Services (DGS) must authorize release of funds and give approval to proceed, depending upon the phase of the project and the task. Unless the project involves an acquisition, the first (and frequently only) PWB approval normally occurs at the preliminary planning stage.

Once the Legislature authorizes funding for DGS-managed minor projects, studies, site acquisition, or preliminary plans in the Budget Act or separate statute, DGS initiates a Form 22 (or for bond funds a Form 220) requesting that funding for this phase be transferred to the Architectural Revolving Fund. The DGS forwards the form to the department for approval, which then submits it to Finance for approval. See DGS State Forms Directory for samples of the fund transfer forms. The form is then forwarded to the State Controller’s Office.

Reminder to departments on “project” per State Contract Act: Before beginning a project, departments are reminded to verify whether the project is governed by the State Contract Act. Section 10105 of the Public Contract Code sets a specific dollar threshold for projects, beyond which the act has governance. That dollar threshold is updated every two years by Finance in a Budget Letter.