Tennessee Senate Bill SB0795

Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 2/4/25
• Engrossed: 2/2/26

Caption

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 12, Chapter 3, relative to public purchases.

Summary

SB0795 revises Tennessee’s public purchasing laws for local governments. It expands the statutory definition of “goods” to include improvements to real property, such as buildings, structures, equipment, fixtures, and other items permanently attached to real property, while still excluding real property itself. The bill also rewrites the local government purchasing authority section to clarify that, to the extent allowed by federal law, local governments may buy certain goods and services through federal General Services Administration (GSA) contracts or other applicable federal open purchase contracts, either directly or through the appropriate state agency. The bill further authorizes local governments to purchase goods and services directly from vendors holding GSA schedule contracts without bidding or quotations, so long as the price matches the vendor’s current GSA schedule price. It also allows local governments to use their own preferred terms and conditions instead of the GSA terms and conditions for these purchases. The measure takes effect immediately upon becoming law, citing the public welfare.

Impact

SB0795 would amend Title 12, Chapter 3 of the Tennessee Code Annotated, affecting the rules governing local government procurement. By broadening the definition of “goods” and expressly permitting purchases through GSA schedule and other federal open purchase contracts, the bill gives counties, municipalities, and other local governments more flexibility and potentially faster access to certain goods and services without the usual bid or quotation process. It also clarifies that local governments may use their own contract terms when buying from GSA schedule vendors, so long as federal law permits.

Sentiment

The available voting history suggests strong support and little opposition to the bill. The Senate State & Local Government Committee recommended passage unanimously, 8-0, and the floor motion to adopt passed 33-0. With no committee transcript provided, there is no recorded debate in the materials, but the unanimous votes indicate broad agreement that the bill is a practical procurement update for local governments.

Contention

No significant contention is reflected in the provided record. The main policy issue inherent in the bill is whether local governments should be allowed to bypass traditional competitive bidding requirements when using federal contract vehicles such as GSA schedules, and whether expanding the definition of “goods” to include improvements to real property could broaden purchasing authority too far. However, the unanimous committee and floor votes suggest these concerns did not generate visible opposition in the available materials.