(a)
Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter, the trustees may award annual contracts that do not exceed three million dollars ($3,000,000) for repair or other repetitive work, or renovation or modification, to be done according to unit prices. The contracts shall be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder, and shall be based primarily on plans and specifications for typical work. No project shall be performed under a contract of this type except by order of the trustees. No annual contracts may be awarded under these provisions for capital outlay projects, where the total cost of the project exceeds the value of a minor capital outlay project for which, pursuant to Section 10108, the services of the Department of General Services are not required and a state agency or department is authorized to carry out its own project.
(b)
For purposes of this section, “unit price” means the amount paid for a single unit of an item of work, and “typical work” means a work description applicable universally or applicable to a large number of individual projects, as distinguished from work specifically described with respect to an individual project.