Section 356B.10 Public Pension Facilities
356B.10 PUBLIC PENSION FACILITIES.
Subdivision 1.Definitions.
(a) The definitions in this subdivision apply to this section.
(b) "Boards" mean the Board of Directors of the Minnesota State Retirement System, the board of trustees of the Public Employees Retirement Association, and the board of trustees of the Teachers Retirement Association.
(c) "Commissioner" means the commissioner of administration.
Subd. 2.Building; related facilities.
(a) The commissioner of administration may provide a building and related facilities to be jointly occupied by the board of directors of the Minnesota State Retirement System, the board of trustees of the Public Employees Retirement Association, and the board of trustees of the Teachers Retirement Association for the administration of their public pension systems.
(b) Design of the facilities is not subject to section 16B.33. The competitive acquisition process set forth in chapter 16C does not apply if the process set forth in subdivision 3 is followed.
(c) The boards and the commissioner must submit the plans for a public pension facility under this section to the chair of the house of representatives Ways and Means Committee and to the chair of the senate State Government Finance Committee for their approval before the plans are implemented.
Subd. 3.Contracting procedures.
(a) The commissioner may enter into a contract for facilities with a contractor to furnish the architectural, engineering, and related services as well as the labor, materials, supplies, equipment, and related construction services on the basis of a request for qualifications and competitive responses received through a request for proposals process that must include the items listed in paragraphs (b) to (i).
(b) Before issuing a request for qualifications and a request for proposals, the commissioner, with the assistance of the boards, shall prepare performance criteria and specifications that include:
(1) a general floor plan or layout indicating the general dimensions of the public building and space requirements;
(2) design criteria for the exterior and site area;
(3) performance specifications for all building systems and components to ensure quality and cost efficiencies;
(4) conceptual floor plans for systems space;
(5) preferred types of interior finishes, styles of windows, lighting and outlets, doors, and features such as built-in counters and telephone wiring;
(6) mechanical and electrical requirements;
(7) special interior features required; and
(8) a completion schedule.
(c) The commissioner shall first solicit statements of qualifications from eligible contractors and select more than one qualified contractor based upon experience, technical competence, past performance, capability to perform, and other appropriate facts. Contractors selected under this process must be, employ, or have as a partner, member, coventurer, or subcontractor, persons licensed and registered under chapter 326 to provide the services required to design and complete the project. The commissioner does not have to select any of the respondents if none reasonably fulfill the criteria set forth in this paragraph.
(d) The contractors selected shall be asked to respond to a request for proposals. Responses must include site plans, design concept, elevation, statement of material to be used, floor layouts, a detailed development budget, and a total cost to complete the project. The proposal must indicate that the contractor obtained at least two proposals from subcontractors for each item of work and must set forth how the subcontractors were selected. The commissioner, with the assistance of the boards, shall evaluate the proposals based upon design, cost, quality, aesthetics, and the best overall value to the state pension funds. The commissioner need not select any of the proposals submitted and reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, and may terminate the process or revise the request for proposals and solicit new proposals if the commissioner determines that the best interests of the pension funds would be better served by doing so. Proposals submitted are nonpublic data until the contract is awarded.
(e) The contractor selected must comply with sections 574.26 to 574.261. Before executing a final contract, the contractor selected shall certify a firm construction price and completion date.
(f) The commissioner may consider building sites in the city of St. Paul and surrounding suburbs.
(g) Any land, building, or facility leased, constructed, or acquired and any leasehold interest acquired under this section must be held by the state in trust for the three retirement systems as tenants in common. Each retirement system fund must consider its interest as a fixed asset of its pension fund in accordance with governmental accounting standards.
(h) The commissioner may lease to another governmental subdivision, to a private company under contract with the State Board of Investment, or with the Board of Directors of the Minnesota State Retirement System, whichever applies, to provide deferred compensation services under section 352.965, any portion of the funds' building and lands that is not required for their direct use upon terms and conditions they deem to be in the best interest of the pension funds. Any income accruing from the rentals must be separately accounted for and utilized to offset ongoing administrative expenses and any excess must be carried forward for future administrative expenses. The commissioner may also enter into lease agreements for the establishment of satellite offices should the boards find them to be necessary in order to assure their members reasonable access to their services. The commissioner may lease under section 16B.24 any portion of the facilities not required for the direct use of the boards.
(i) The boards shall formulate and adopt a written working agreement that sets forth the nature of each retirement system's ownership interest, the duties and obligations of each system toward the construction, operation, and maintenance costs of its facilities, and identifies one retirement fund to serve as manager for operating and maintenance purposes. The boards may contract with independent third parties for maintenance-related activities, services, and supplies, and may use the services of the Department of Administration where economically feasible to do so. If the boards cannot agree or resolve a dispute about operations or maintenance of the facilities, they may request the commissioner of administration to appoint a representative from the department's real estate management division to serve as arbitrator of the dispute with authority to issue a written resolution of the dispute.
Subd. 4.Revenue bonds.
The commissioner of management and budget, on request of the governor, may sell and issue revenue bonds in an aggregate principal amount up to $38,000,000 to achieve the purposes described in subdivisions 1 and 2, plus the amount needed to pay issuance costs and interest costs and to establish necessary reserves to secure the bonds. The commissioner of management and budget may issue bonds for the purpose of refunding bonds issued under this subdivision. The bonds may be sold and issued on terms and in a manner the commissioner of management and budget determines to be in the best interests of the state. The proceeds of the bonds must be credited to a bond proceeds account in the pension building fund which the commissioner of management and budget must create in the state treasury.
Subd. 5.Security.
The boards may pledge any or all assets of the boards as security for the bonds. The bonds and the interest on them must be paid solely from and secured by all assets of the boards pledged and appropriated for these purposes to the debt service fund created in subdivision 6 and any investment income on the fund and any reserve established for this purpose. The bonds are not public debt, and the full faith, credit, and taxing powers of the state are not pledged for their payment. The bonds and the interest on them must not be paid, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from a tax of statewide application on any class of property, income, transaction, or privilege.
Subd. 6.Debt service fund.
There is established in the state treasury a separate and special pension building debt service fund. Money in the funds managed by the boards is appropriated to the boards for transfer to the pension building debt service fund. Money appropriated and transferred to the fund and investment income on it on hand or required to be transferred to the fund must be used and is irrevocably appropriated to pay when due the principal of and interest on the bonds authorized in subdivision 4.
Subd. 7.Covenants; agreements.
The commissioner of management and budget may, for and on behalf of the state, enter into covenants and agreements not inconsistent with subdivisions 1 to 6 as may be necessary or desirable to facilitate the sale and issuance of the bonds on terms favorable to the state, including, but not limited to, covenants and agreements relating to the payment of and security for the bonds, tax exemption, and disclosure of information required by federal and state securities laws. The covenants and agreements of the commissioner of management and budget constitute an enforceable contract of the state and the state pledges and agrees with the holders of any bonds that the state will not limit or alter the rights vested in the commissioner of management and budget to fulfill the terms of the covenants or agreements made with the holders of the bonds, or in any way impair the rights and remedies of the holders until the bonds, together with the interest on them, with interest on any unpaid installments of interest, and all costs and expenses in connection with any action or proceeding by or on behalf of the holders, are fully met and discharged. The commissioner of management and budget may include this pledge and agreement of the state in any covenant or agreement with the holders of the bonds. Sections 16A.672 and 16A.675 apply to the bonds.
History:
2002 c 392 art 11 s 51; 2008 c 349 art 11 s 8; 2009 c 101 art 2 s 109