Section 20. (a) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary and to the extent permitted by federal law, a governmental body may, by a majority vote, establish a preference for products of agriculture as defined in section 1A of chapter 128 including, but not limited to, fruits, vegetables, eggs, dairy products, meats, crops, horticultural products and products processed into value added products as part of a Massachusetts farm operation as well as fish, seafood, and other aquatic products.
(b) Wherever a governmental body by a majority vote establishes a preference for the procurement of such products of agriculture grown or produced using products grown in the commonwealth, the procurement officer responsible for procuring agricultural products on behalf of the governmental body shall effectuate such preference in: (i) advertising for bids, contracts or otherwise and making reasonable efforts to facilitate the purchase of such products of agriculture grown or produced using products grown in the commonwealth; and (ii) purchasing products of agriculture grown or produced using products grown in the commonwealth, unless the price of such goods exceeds, by more than 10 per cent, the price of agricultural products grown or produced outside of the commonwealth.
Structure Massachusetts General Laws
Part I - Administration of the Government
Title III - Laws Relating to State Officers
Chapter 30b - Uniform Procurement Act
Section 1 - Application of Chapter
Section 3 - Procurement Contracts; Files
Section 4 - Submission of Quotations
Section 5 - Competitive Sealed Bidding Procedures
Section 6 - Competitive Sealed Proposals; Requests for Proposals; Additional Evaluation Criteria
Section 6a - Utilization of Reverse Auctions for the Acquisition of Supplies and Services
Section 7 - Sole Source Procurements
Section 8 - Emergency Procurements
Section 9 - Cancellation of Invitation for Bids; Rejection of Bids or Proposals
Section 10 - Certification of Good Faith
Section 11 - Splitting of Procurements
Section 12 - Term of Contract; Information to Be Included in Solicitation; Cancellation of Contract
Section 13 - Increase of Services or Supplies Specified in Contract
Section 13a - Recycling or Composting Contracts; Modifications and Amendments
Section 14 - Specification Requirements; Proprietary Supply or Service and Sole Source Procurement
Section 15 - Tangible Supply; Disposition
Section 16 - Real Property; Disposition or Acquisition
Section 17 - Writing Requirement; Invalidation of Contracts; Forfeiture; Civil Actions
Section 18 - Sheltered Market Programs
Section 19 - Delegation of Procurement Officer's Powers and Duties