Rhode Island General Laws

R.I. Gen. Laws § 37-2-51 (2026)

Decision presumed to be correct

✓ current as of July 2026
Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section RI-LEGwebserver.rilegislature.gov JustiaTitle on Justia CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar

The decision of any official, board, agent, or other person appointed by the state concerning any controversy arising under or in connection with the solicitation or award of a contract shall be entitled to a presumption of correctness. The decision shall not be disturbed unless it was: procured by fraud; in violation of constitutional or statutory provisions; in excess of the statutory authority of the agency; made upon unlawful procedure; affected by other error or law; clearly erroneous in view of the reliable, probative, and substantial evidence on the whole record; arbitrary; capricious; characterized by an abuse of discretion; or clearly unwarranted exercise of discretion.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 5 cases, 2002–2016 · leading case: Associated Builders & Contractors of Rhode Island, Inc. v. Dep't of Admin., 787 A.2d 1179 (R.I. 2002).
Associated Builders & Contractors of Rhode Island, Inc. v. Dep't of Admin., 787 A.2d 1179 (R.I. 2002). · cites it 4× “” *1188 Section 37-2-51 establishes a “presumption of correctness” for state procurement decisions: “The decision of any official, board, agent, or other person appointed by the state concerning any controversy arising under or in connection with the solicitation or award of a…”
Byrne & Jones Enter., Inc. d/b/a Byrne & Jones Constr. v. Monroe City R-1 Sch. Dist., 493 S.W.3d 847 (Mo. 2016). · cites it 2× “Laws § 37-2-52 (providing “[a]ny actual or prospective bidder, offeror, or contractor who is aggrieved in connection with the solicitation or selection of an award” to file a written protest within two weeks); R.I. Gen. Laws § 37-2-51 (on appeal, decisions in connection with the…”
H v. Collins Co. v. Williams, 990 A.2d 845 (R.I. 2010). · cites it 2× “The trial justice’s decision was based on G.L.1956 § 37-2-51 that provides: “The decision of any official, board, agent, or other person appointed by the state concerning any controversy arising under or in connection with the solicitation or award of a contract shall be…”
Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island v. Najarian, 865 A.2d 1074 (R.I. 2005). · cites it 2× “While expressly recognizing the strict requirements that must be met to overturn a public awarding authority’s decision, the trial justice below concluded that the contract was awarded in violation of statutory provisions and upon unlawful procedure and that the award was…”
HK&S Constr. Holding Corp. v. Lynne S. Dible, in her Off. capacity as Fin. Dir. & Purchasing Off. of the Town of Middletown, 111 A.3d 407 (R.I. 2015). · cites it 2× “(quoting G.L.1956 § 37-2-51) (emphasis in original).”
Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.