(A) Each construction manager at risk and design-build firm shall establish criteria by which it will prequalify prospective bidders on subcontracts awarded for work to be performed under the construction management or design-build contract. The criteria established by a construction manager at risk or design-build firm shall be subject to the approval of the public authority involved in the project and shall be consistent with the rules adopted by the Ohio facilities construction commission pursuant to section 153.503 of the Revised Code.

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(B) For each subcontract to be awarded, the construction manager at risk or design-build firm shall identify at least three prospective bidders that are prequalified to bid on that subcontract, except that the construction manager at risk or design-build firm shall identify fewer than three if the construction manager at risk or design-build firm establishes to the satisfaction of the public authority that fewer than three prequalified bidders are available. The public authority shall verify that each prospective bidder meets the prequalification criteria and may eliminate any bidder it determines is not qualified.

(C) Once the prospective bidders are prequalified and found acceptable by the public authority, the construction manager at risk or design-build firm shall solicit proposals from each of those bidders. The solicitation and selection of a subcontractor shall be conducted under an open book pricing method. As used in this division, “open book pricing method” has the same meaning as in section 9.33 of the Revised Code, in the case of a construction manager at risk, and the same meaning as in section 153.65 of the Revised Code, in the case of a design-build firm.

(D) A construction manager at risk or design-build firm shall not be required to award a subcontract to a low bidder.