(a) Any contract amendments, modifications, or change orders to a fiscal intermediary contract entered into by the department for the purposes of implementing Section 14104.3 shall be exempt, except as provided in subdivision (b), from Part 2 (commencing with Section 10100) of Division 2 of the Public Contract Code and any policies, procedures, or regulations authorized by that part.
(b) Subdivision (a) shall not exempt the department from establishing a competitive bid process for awarding new contracts pursuant to Section 14104.3.