Contract requirements

§ 5325. Contract requirements (a) Noncompetitive Bidding.—A capital project or improvement contract for which a grant or loan is made under this chapter, if the contract is not made through competitive bidding, shall provide that records related to the contract shall be made available to the Secretary of Transportation and the Comptroller General, or an officer or employee of the Secretary or Comptroller General, when conducting an audit and inspection. (b) Acquiring Rolling Stock.—A recipient of financial assistance of the United States Government under this chapter may make a contract to expend that assistance to acquire rolling stock— (1) based on— (A) initial capital costs; or (B) performance, standardization, life cycle costs, and other factors; or (2) with a party selected through a competitive procurement process. (c) Procuring Associated Capital Maintenance Items.—A recipient of a grant under section 5307 of this title procuring an associated capital maintenance item under section 5307(b) may make a contract directly with the original manufacturer or supplier of the item to be replaced, without receiving prior approval of the Secretary, if the recipient first certifies in writing to the Secretary that— (1) the manufacturer or supplier is the only source for the item; and (2) the price of the item is no more than the price similar customers pay for the item. (d) Management, Architectural, and Engineering Contracts.—A contract for program management, construction management, a feasibility study, and preliminary engineering, design, architectural, engineering, surveying, mapping, or related services for a project for which a grant or loan is made under this chapter shall be awarded in the same way as a contract for architectural and engineering services is negotiated under title IX of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 108 STAT. 8261949 (40 U.S.C. 541 et seq.) or an equivalent qualifications-based requirement of a State. This subsection does not apply to the extent a State has adopted or adopts by law a formal procedure for procuring those services.