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Title 2 — ADMINISTRATIVE CODE

Part 6 — CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Palo Alto Municipal Code · 2026-09 edition · updated 2026-09-29 · Palo Alto

2.30.500 Bid security, bonds and insurance.

(a) When Required. The Procurement Officer is authorized to require bid security and surety bonds, including payment and performance bonds, as well as specific types and amounts of insurance coverage in connection with contracts for public works, goods, general services, professional services, and wholesale utility commodities and services to the extent required by California or federal law, or this chapter, or upon a determination that it is in the best interest of the city to do so by the City Manager or, if the City Manager does not make a determination, by the Procurement Officer in consultation with the City Attorney.

(b) Bid Security. Bid security shall be submitted with the bid and shall be in the form of a certified check, cashier’s check or surety bond. Any

surety bond shall be issued by an admitted surety authorized to conduct business in the State of California and shall be in a form acceptable to the City Attorney and as specified in the solicitation for bids document. If a bidder fails to submit the required bid security with the bid, the bid shall be deemed nonresponsive. After bids are opened, bid security shall be irrevocable for the period specified in the invitation for bids. If the successful bidder fails to execute the contract within the time specified, the total amount of the bid security shall be forfeited to the city. The bid security of an unsuccessful bidder shall be returned to the bidder by no later than sixty days from the date of contract award. Bids for public works projects costing in excess of $85,000.00 shall require the submission of bid security in an amount equal to at least ten percent of the bid. On public works projects costing $85,000.00 or less, and all other procurements of goods and services without regard to price, the Procurement Officer is authorized to determine whether any bid security in any amount shall be required on a project-by-project basis.

(c) Surety bonds. Payment and performance security shall be required of contractors and take the form of surety bonds acceptable to the City Attorney and issued by an admitted surety authorized to conduct business in the State of California. Contracts for public works projects costing in excess of $25,000.00 shall require the submission of payment bond and performance bond, each in an amount equal to one hundred percent of the contract price at the time the contract is executed. Where the contract is with a governmental agency or a public utility the requirement for performance and payment security may be waived, in writing, by the Procurement Officer if the contracting governmental agency or public utility agrees, in writing, that, to the extent all work is not to be done by its own employees, it will require any and all contractors it awards contracts for the performance of any of the work to provide, before commencement of the work, the payment bond and performance bond, on terms and conditions it establishes, which is satisfactory to the Procurement Officer and complying with the provisions of applicable California law. Payment bond and performance bond for public works projects shall be extended in the full amount of the contract for a one-year warranty period beyond the date of acceptance of the public works project by the city. On public work projects costing $25,000.00 or less, and on all acquisitions of goods and services without regard to price, the Procurement Officer is authorized to determine whether any payment and performance security in any amount shall be required on a case-by-case basis.

(d) Form of Bonds. The only bonds acceptable to the city shall be those executed on forms approved by the City Attorney and as specified in the invitation for bids or request for proposals.

(e) Insurance. The insurance risk manager acting on behalf of the City Manager by the authority conferred by Section2.28.170 of this municipal code shall determine the insurance requirements to be imposed upon any third party doing business with the city pursuant to this chapter. The successful bidder or proposer shall submit certificates of insurance and endorsement forms, as applicable, as evidence that it has obtained and will maintain the types and amounts of insurance coverages required by the bid or proposal solicitation documents. Such evidence shall be submitted to the Procurement Officer promptly upon request and shall be issued by an admitted insurer authorized to conduct business in the State of California and is acceptable to the city. The insurance risk manager may waive the insurance requirement where the contract is an intergovernmental agency contract or a city-public utility contract, and the governmental, public or quasi-public agency or the public utility, to whom the contract is awarded, agrees, in writing, that it will obtain and maintain and provide evidence of the required insurance coverage before the commencement of work, naming the city, its officials, officers, employees and agents as additional insureds to such policy.

(Ord. 5494 § 29, 2020: Ord. 5387 § 1 (part), 2016: Ord. 4827 § 1 (part), 2004)

2.30.510 Nondiscrimination.

All contracts costing in excess of $10,000.00 shall include a certification of nondiscrimination that in the performance of the contract with the city, the consultant or the contractor will not discriminate in the employment of any person due to that person's race, skin color, gender, gender identity, age, religion, disability, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, pregnancy, genetic information or condition, housing status, marital status, familial status, weight or height of such person.

Any consultant or contractor who is found in violation of any federal, state or local nondiscrimination law in the performance of any contract with the city, thereby shall be found in material breach of such contract and thereupon the city shall have the power to cancel or suspend the contract, in whole or in part, or to deduct from the amount payable to such contractor the sum of $1,000 for each person for each calendar day during which the City Manager determines such person was subject to discriminatory conduct or action by the consultant or the contractor or any officer, employee, agent or representative of the consultant or the contractor, as damages for breach of contract, or both. Only a finding of the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, State of California Fair Employment Practices Commission, or the equivalent federal agency or office shall constitute evidence of a violation of contract under this Section.

(Ord. 5387 § 1 (part), 2016: Ord. 4827 § 1 (part), 2004)

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▸Contents — Palo Alto Municipal Code
Palo Alto Municipal Code
  1. Article VIII — A. Board of Education
  2. Title 1 — GENERAL PROVISIONS
  3. ▸Title 2 — ADMINISTRATIVE CODE
    Overview
    1. 2.04 Council Organization and Procedure
    2. 2.06 Official City Seal and Logo
    3. 2.07 Post-Government Employment Regulations
    4. 2.08 Officers and Departments
    5. 2.09 Conflict of Interest Code for Designated Positions
    6. 2.10 Cable Television and Open Video Systems - Award of Franch…
    7. 2.11 VIDEO SERVICE PROVIDERS - APPLICABLE REQUIREMENTS
    8. 2.12 Emergency Organization and Functions
    9. 2.16 Boards and Commissions Generally
    10. 2.18 Public Art Commission
    11. 2.21 Architectural Review Board
    12. 2.22 Human Relations Commission
    13. 2.23 Utilities Advisory Commission
    14. 2.24 Library Advisory Commission
    15. 2.25 Parks and Recreation Commission
    16. 2.26 Visual Art in Public Places
    17. 2.27 Historic Resources Board
    18. 2.28 Fiscal Procedures
    19. 2.30 Contracts and Purchasing Procedures
    20. 2.31 Property Control
    21. 2.32 Sales and Use Tax
    22. 2.33 Transient Occupancy Tax
    23. 2.34 Real Property Transfer Tax
    24. 2.35 Utility Users Tax
    25. 2.36 Personnel Procedures
    26. 2.37 Business Tax
    27. 2.40 Municipal Elections
    28. 2.44 Official Newspaper
    29. 2.48 Solar Tax Credit
    30. 2.49 Electronic Signatures
    31. Chapter 2.04 — COUNCIL ORGANIZATION AND PROCEDURE
    32. Chapter 2.06 — OFFICIAL CITY SEAL AND LOGO
    33. Chapter 2.07 — POST-GOVERNMENT EMPLOYMENT REGULATIONS
    34. Chapter 2.08 — OFFICERS AND DEPARTMENTS
    35. Chapter 2.09 — CONFLICT OF INTEREST CODE FOR DESIGNATED POSITI…
    36. Chapter 2.10 — CABLE TELEVISION AND OPEN VIDEO SYSTEMS - AWARD…
    37. Chapter 2.11 — VIDEO SERVICE PROVIDERS - APPLICABLE REQUIREMENTS
    38. Chapter 2.12 — EMERGENCY ORGANIZATION AND FUNCTIONS
    39. Chapter 2.16 — BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS GENERALLY
    40. Chapter 2.18 — PUBLIC ART COMMISSION
    41. Chapter 2.20 — PLANNING AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION
    42. Chapter 2.21 — ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD
    43. Chapter 2.22 — HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION
    44. Chapter 2.23 — UTILITIES ADVISORY COMMISSION
    45. Chapter 2.24 — LIBRARY ADVISORY COMMISSION
    46. Chapter 2.25 — PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
    47. Chapter 2.26 — VISUAL ART IN PUBLIC PLACES
    48. Chapter 2.27 — HISTORIC RESOURCES BOARD
    49. Chapter 2.28 — FISCAL PROCEDURES
    50. Chapter 2.30 — CONTRACTS AND PURCHASING PROCEDURES
    51. Part 6A — SURVEILLANCE AND PRIVACY PROTECTIONS
    52. Part 1 — GENERAL
    53. Part 2 — CONTRACT TYPES
    54. Part 3 — CONTRACTING AUTHORITY
    55. Part 4 — COMPETITIVE SOLICITATION REQUIREMENTS
    56. Part 5 — COMPETITIVE SOLICITATION PROCEDURES
    57. Part 6 — CONTRACT TERMS AND CONDITIONS
    58. Part 7 — ETHICS IN CONTRACTING
    59. Part 6A — SURVEILLANCE AND PRIVACY PROTECTIONS
    60. Part 8 — RECORDS AND REPORTS
    61. Part 9 — REWARDS
    62. Part 10 — STANDARDIZATION
    63. Chapter 2.31 — PROPERTY CONTROL
    64. Chapter 2.32 — SALES AND USE TAX
    65. Chapter 2.33 — TRANSIENT OCCUPANCY TAX
    66. Chapter 2.34 — REAL PROPERTY TRANSFER TAX
    67. Chapter 2.35 — UTILITY USERS TAX
    68. Chapter 2.36 — PERSONNEL PROCEDURES
    69. Chapter 2.37 — BUSINESS TAX
    70. Chapter 2.40 — MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS
    71. Chapter 2.44 — OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER
    72. Chapter 2.48 — SOLAR TAX CREDIT
    73. Chapter 2.49 — ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES
  4. Title 4 — BUSINESS LICENSES AND REGULATIONS
  5. Title 5 — HEALTH AND SANITATION
  6. Title 6 — ANIMALS
  7. Title 8 — TREES AND VEGETATION
  8. Title 9 — PUBLIC PEACE, MORALS AND SAFETY
  9. Title 10 — VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC
  10. Title 11 — ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT PROCEDURE
  11. Title 12 — PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES
  12. Title 13 — IMPROVEMENT PROCEDURE
  13. Title 15 — FIRE PREVENTION
  14. Title 16 — BUILDING REGULATIONS
  15. Title 17 — HAZARDOUS MATERIALS STORAGE
  16. Title 18 — ZONING
  17. Title 19 — MASTER PLAN
  18. Article 7 — AUTHORITY FOR AND SCOPE OF MASTER OR GENERAL PLANS.
  19. Article 8 — PROCEDURE FOR ADOPTION OF MASTER OR GENERAL PLAN.
  20. Chapter 19.06 — SPECIFIC PLANS
  21. Chapter 19.10 — COORDINATED AREA PLANS
  22. Title 20 — PRECISE PLANS
  23. Title 21 — SUBDIVISIONS AND OTHER DIVISIONS OF LAND
  24. Title 22 — PARKS

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