Legal Services

	“The commissioners court has decided on a project to spruce up the outside of the county courthouse annex. We have decided to contract a landscape architect to guide the project. Should we bid out for the landscape architect’s services?”

Q: Is the county required to bid out for landscape architect services?

No. Landscape architects are among the professional services named in Chapter 2254, Government Code, which may not be selected based on competitive bidding. Instead, §2254.003 requires the selection to be made based on demonstrated competence and qualifications to perform the service and a fair and reasonable price. Other licensed practices exempted from competitive bidding under this chapter include certified public accountants, architects, physicians, optometrists, professional engineers, registered nurses, state certified real estate appraisers, land surveyors, and forensic analysis or forensic science experts. For more information about competitive bidding, see Procurement Handbook.