Provides a description of legal requirements for North Carolina local government contracts in a question-and-answer format. The appendix includes the text of the major statutes governing purchasing and contracting, as well as reprints of articles on the "piggybacking" exception and the "responsiveness" requirement in evaluating bids. The second edition has been revised to include legal requirements for local school units which are now subject to the procedures explained in the book. The book contains updates, which incorporate recent legislative changes, and a revised Dollar Thresholds Chart, dated November 1, 2015. Effective July 27, 2005, the coverage of the informal bidding statute, G.S. 143-131 has changed. Update files are availlable as a free PDF download (https://www.sog.unc.edu/publications/books/legal-guide-purchasing-and-contracting-north-carolina-local-governments-2004-edition-2007-supplement !/details).