Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, any county or municipal corporation of this state is authorized, in the discretion of its governing authority, to enter into valid and binding leases and contracts with private persons, firms, associations, or corporations for any period of time not to exceed 20 years to provide for the operation and maintenance of all or a portion of its waste-water treatment system, storm-water system, water system, or sewer system, or any combination of such systems, which leases and contracts may include provisions for the design, construction, repair, reconditioning, replacement, maintenance, and operation of the system, or any combination of such services and functions. If a contract or lease to be awarded pursuant to this Code section includes provisions for the construction of public works, the laws relating to the procurement of such contracts shall also apply; provided, however, that any bonding requirements shall apply only to the construction provisions of the contract or lease. Prior to entering into a lease or contract pursuant to this Code section, the governing authority shall solicit competitive sealed proposals. The governing authority shall first establish criteria for evaluation of any applicants submitting proposals on such leases or contracts for the purpose of assisting the governing authority in making a review of such applicants' previous performance on projects of comparable magnitude, the environmental compliance record of such applicants, and any relevant civil or criminal penalties incurred by such applicants during the five years immediately preceding the execution of the lease or contract. The governing authority shall take into consideration such information to assist it in determining the eligibility of any applicant. The award of a lease or contract pursuant to this Code section shall be made to the responsible and responsive applicant whose proposal is determined in writing to be the most advantageous to the governmental entity, taking into consideration the evaluation factors set forth in the request for proposals. All information required by the county or municipality pursuant to this Code section shall be provided by the applicant under oath. For purposes of this Code section, "applicant" means any individual, firm, association, or corporation submitting a proposal on such leases or contracts.