All personal service contracts shall be entered into pursuant to competitive solicitation, except for:

     (1) Emergency contracts;

     (2) Sole source contracts;

     (3) Contract amendments;

     (4) Contracts between a consultant and a port of less than fifty thousand dollars. However, contracts of fifty thousand dollars or greater but less than two hundred thousand dollars shall have documented evidence of competition. Ports shall not structure contracts to evade these requirements; and

     (5) Other specific contracts or classes or groups of contracts exempted from the competitive solicitation process by the commission when it has been determined that a competitive solicitation process is not appropriate or cost-effective.

[2008 c 130 § 7.]