California Code, Public Contract Code - PCC § 10210

(1) Provide public notice of availability of work to be subcontracted in accordance with the publication requirements applicable to the competitive bidding process of the department, including a fixed date and time on which qualifications statements, bids, or proposals will be due.

(2) Establish reasonable qualification criteria and standards.

(3) Award the subcontract either on a best value basis or to the lowest responsible bidder. The process may include prequalification or short-listing. The foregoing process does not apply to construction subcontractors listed in the original proposal. Subcontractors awarded construction subcontracts under this subdivision shall be afforded all the protections of Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 4100) of Part 1.