California Code, Public Contract Code - PCC § 21501

(a) All contracts for any improvement or unit of work, when the cost according to the estimate of the engineer will exceed fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000), shall be let to the lowest responsible bidder or bidders as provided in this article. The board shall first determine whether the contract shall be let as a single unit, or divided into severable parts. The board shall advertise for bids by three insertions in a daily newspaper of general circulation or by two insertions in a weekly newspaper of general circulation printed and published in the agency, inviting sealed proposals for the construction or performance of the improvement or work. The call for bids shall state whether the work shall be performed in one unit or divided into parts. The work may be let under a single contract or several contracts, as stated in such call. The board shall require the successful bidders to file with the board good and sufficient bonds to be approved by the board conditioned upon the faithful performance of the contract and upon the payment of their claims for labor and material. The bonds shall comply with Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 9550) of Title 3 of Part 6 of Division 4 of the Civil Code. The board may reject any and all bids.

(b) The board may have work done by force account without advertising for bids or by informal bidding procedures in any of the following situations:

(c) The agency may purchase in the open market without advertising for bids, materials and supplies for use in any work, either under contract or by force account, except that, materials and supplies for use in any new construction work or improvement, except work referred to in subdivision (b), may not be purchased, if the cost exceeds fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000), without advertising for bids and awarding the contract to the lowest responsible bidder.

(d) As used in this section, “informal bidding procedures” means that the board shall, at a minimum, award a contract to the lowest responsible bidder after publishing a notice which generally describes the work to be performed and invites written bids in a newspaper of general circulation in the agency once a week for two successive weeks. The board shall obtain a minimum of three written bids.

(a) “Business” means a sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, association, or other group, however organized and whether or not organized to operate at a profit, including a financial institution organized, chartered, or holding a license or authorization certificate under the law of this state, any other state, the United States, or of any other country, or the parent or the subsidiary of a financial institution. The term includes an entity that disposes of records.

(b) “Records” means any material, regardless of the physical form, on which information is recorded or preserved by any means, including in written or spoken words, graphically depicted, printed, or electromagnetically transmitted. “Records” does not include publicly available directories containing information an individual has voluntarily consented to have publicly disseminated or listed, such as name, address, or telephone number.

(c) “Customer” means an individual who provides personal information to a business for the purpose of purchasing or leasing a product or obtaining a service from the business.

(d) “Individual” means a natural person.

(e) “Personal information” means any information that identifies, relates to, describes, or is capable of being associated with, a particular individual, including, but not limited to, his or her name, signature, social security number, physical characteristics or description, address, telephone number, passport number, driver's license or state identification card number, insurance policy number, education, employment, employment history, bank account number, credit card number, debit card number, or any other financial information, medical information, or health insurance information. “Personal information” does not include publicly available information that is lawfully made available to the general public from federal, state, or local government records.