L 2024, c 113, §7.] (a) In any expenditure of public funds for accounting services, the use of Hawaii accounting service businesses shall be preferred. Where a package bid or response to a request for proposal contains Hawaii and non-Hawaii accounting service businesses, for the purpose of selecting the lowest bid or purchase price only, the bid or offer by a non-Hawaii accounting service business shall be increased by a preference percentage of twenty per cent; provided that the Hawaii accounting service business shall provide a self-certification that:

1. (1) Not less than eighty per cent of the labor for accounting services, with respect to time and expenses incurred, will be performed in the State by persons domiciled in the State; and
2. (2) With respect to the size of the physical location, the commercial place of business is of sufficient capacity to accommodate every person performing accounting services under any contract subject to chapter 103D.
3. (b) This section shall not apply when precluded by federal requirements for competitive bidding or offers.

[L 2024, c 113, §2]