Ohio Revised Code Title I. State Government § 153.08

On the day and at the place named in the notice provided for in section 153.06 of the Revised Code, the owner referred to in section 153.01 of the Revised Code shall open the bids and shall publicly, with the assistance of the architect or engineer, immediately proceed to tabulate the bids. For a bid filed electronically, the public bid opening may be broadcast by electronic means pursuant to rules established by the Ohio facilities construction commission. A bid shall be invalid and not considered unless a bid guaranty meeting the requirements of section 153.54 of the Revised Code and in the form approved by the commission is filed with such bid. For a bid that is not filed electronically, the bid and bid guaranty shall be filed in one sealed envelope. If the bid and bid guaranty are filed electronically, they must be received electronically before the deadline published pursuant to section 153.06 of the Revised Code. For all bids filed electronically, the original, unaltered bid guaranty shall be made available to the public authority after the public bid opening, which may be achieved by means of an electronic verification and security system established under rules adopted by the Ohio facilities construction commission under Chapter 119. of the Revised Code. After investigation, which shall be completed within thirty days, the contract shall be awarded by such owner to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder in accordance with section 9.312 of the Revised Code.

No contract shall be entered into until the industrial commission has certified that the person so awarded the contract has complied with sections 4123.01 to 4123.94 of the Revised Code, until, if the bidder so awarded the contract is a foreign corporation, the secretary of state has certified that such corporation is authorized to do business in this state, until, if the bidder so awarded the contract is a person nonresident of this state, such person has filed with the secretary of state a power of attorney designating the secretary of state as its agent for the purpose of accepting service of summons in any action brought under section 153.05 of the Revised Code or under sections 4123.01 to 4123.94 of the Revised Code, and until the contract and bond, if any, are submitted to the attorney general and the attorney general's approval certified thereon.

No contract shall be entered into unless the bidder possesses a valid certificate of compliance with affirmative action programs issued pursuant to section 9.47 of the Revised Code and dated no earlier than one hundred eighty days prior to the date fixed for the opening of bids for a particular project.