As you would expect, public contracting law is designed to avoid favoritism and ensure that the government receives the “best deal” possible. “The purpose of requiring competitive bidding is ‘to prevent the plundering of the taxpayers’ and as between two bidders equally responsible the municipality cannot reject the lower bid. Brown v. City of Phoenix, 77 Ariz. 368, 373, 272 P.2d 358, 361 (Ariz.1954).
In order to accomplish those goals, the State of Arizona, its agencies and local governments have adopted numerous laws, regulations and ordinances governing public contracts. Please read some of our other articles for more information. When in doubt, consult an attorney. It can be confusing and complicated to work through and understand the various laws and regulations applicable to contracting with or even bidding on a project for a particular governmental entity.