Louisiana Administrative Code
Title 70 - TRANSPORTATION AND DEVELOPMENT
Part XXIII - Purchasing
Chapter 3 - Purchasing Rules and Regulations
Section XXIII-349 - Specifications

A. A specification is defined as any description of the physical, functional, or performance characteristics of a supply, service, or major repair item.

B. The specification includes, as appropriate, requirements for inspecting, testing, or preparing a supply, service, or item for delivery.

C. Unless the context requires otherwise, the terms "specification" and "purchase description" are used interchangeably throughout this rule.

D. The purpose of a specification is to serve as a basis for obtaining a supply, service, or major repair item adequate and suitable for the needs of the department in a cost effective manner, taking into account, to the extent practicable, the costs of ownership and operation as well as initial acquisition costs.

E. It is the policy of the Department of Transportation and Development that specifications permit maximum practicable competition consistent with this purpose. Specifications shall be drafted with the objective of clearly describing the requirements of the department.

F. All specifications shall be written in such a manner as to describe the requirements to be met, without having the effect of exclusively requiring a proprietary supply, service, or major repair item, or procurement from a sole source, unless no other manner of description will suffice. In that event, a written determination shall be made that it is not practicable to use a less restrictive specification.

G. It is the general policy of the Department of Transportation and Development to procure standard commercial products whenever practicable. In developing specifications, accepted commercial standards shall be used and unique requirements shall be avoided to the extent practicable.

H. Bid specifications may contemplate a fixed escalation or de-escalation in accordance with a recognized escalation index.

I. Specifications and any written determination or other document generated or used in the development of a specification shall be available for public inspection.

J. This Section applies to all persons who may prepare a specification for use by the Department of Transportation and Development, including consultants, architects, engineers, designers, and other draftsmen of specifications used for public contracts.

K. To the extent feasible, a specification may provide alternate descriptions of supplies, services, or major repair items where two or more design, functional, or performance criteria will satisfactorily meet the requirements of the Department of Transportation and Development.

L. Whenever a manufacturer's name, trade name, brand name, catalog number or approved equivalent is used in a solicitation, the use is for the purpose of describing the standard of quality, performance, and characteristics desired and is not intended to limit or restrict competition.