Duties and powers of department and office; association contracts and purchases.

(1) The department shall notify the association of the existence of an insolvent insurer not later than 3 days after it receives notice of the determination of the insolvency.

(2) The department may require that the association notify the insureds of the insolvent insurer and any other interested parties of the determination of insolvency and of their rights under this part. Such notification shall be by mail at their last known addresses, when available, but if sufficient information for notification by mail is not available, notice by e-mail or telephone shall be sufficient.

(3) The office shall, upon request of the board of directors, provide the association with a statement of the direct written premiums of each member insurer.

(4) The office may:

(a) Suspend or revoke the certificate of authority to transact insurance in this state of any member insurer which fails to pay an assessment when due or fails to comply with the plan of operation. As an alternative, the office may levy a fine on any member insurer which fails to pay an assessment when due. Such fine may not exceed 5 percent of the unpaid assessment per month, except that no fine shall be less than $100 per month.

(b) Revoke the designation of any servicing facility if it finds claims are being handled unsatisfactorily.

(5)(a) After July 1, 2024, all contracts entered into, and all purchases made by, the association pursuant to this section which are valued at or more than $100,000 must first be approved by the department. The department has 10 days to approve or deny the contract or purchase upon electronic receipt of the approval request. The contract or purchase is automatically approved if the department is nonresponsive.

(b) All contracts and purchases valued at or more than $100,000 require competition through a formal bid solicitation conducted by the association. The association must undergo a formal bid solicitation process. The formal bid solicitation process must include all of the following:

1. The time and date for the receipt of bids, the proposals, and whether the association contemplates renewal of the contract, including the price for each year for which the contract may be renewed.

2. All the contractual terms and conditions applicable to the procurement.

(c) Evaluation of bids by the association must include consideration of the total cost for each year of the contract, including renewal years, as submitted by the vendor. The association must award the contract to the most responsible and responsive vendor. Any formal bid solicitation conducted by the association must be made available, upon request, to the department via electronic delivery.

(d) Paragraphs (b) and (c) do not apply to claims defense counsel or claims vendors if contracts with all vendors which may exceed $100,000 are provided to the department for prior approval in accordance with paragraph (a).