In traditional public procurement for construction contracts, competitive bidding is the accepted process. Under the laws applicable to Federal-aid highways, competitive bidding is generally required on highway construction contracts that use Federal-aid, with award to the lowest responsive bidder. However, under certain conditions, methods other than competitive bidding may be used to select a contractor if FHWA determines that the alternative contracting method is more cost-effective or if an emergency exists and time is a critical factor.