The Board of Higher Education adopted the following Administrative Rule and it shall act as a guideline for employees to follow in contracting and purchasing of goods and services…
“Encourage all segments of society to participate by demonstrating support for emerging small, minority-owned and women-owned businesses, and Qualified Rehabilitation Facilities”.
Procurement and Contract Services (PaCS) works with vendors who have applied and are “Certified” under specific Oregon laws and regulations. The two most common types of “Certified Status Vendors” are called Qualified Rehabilitation Facility (QRF) and Minority Business Enterprise/Women Business Enterprise (MBE/WBE), or Emerging Small Business (ESB).
A Qualified Rehabilitation Facility is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to assist and encourage individuals with disabilities to achieve maximum independence through gainful and useful employment. QRF’s are certified by the Oregon Department of Administrative Services. See website at www.oregonrehabilitation.org.
ORS 279.850 mandates public agencies to procure products and services that are included on the QRF Procurement List, (http://www.oregon.gov/DAS/SSD/SPO/qrf-list.shtml), from a qualified nonprofit agency for disabled individuals provided the product or service is of the appropriate specifications, is available within the period required by the public agency, and at the price negotiated between the QRF and the agency. Contracts with QRF’s are exempt from competitive bidding.
Minority, Women and Emerging Small Businesses can obtain certification from the Oregon Department of Consumer & Business Services, Office (OMWESB). See website at http://egov.oregon.gov/dcbs/omwesb.
OAR 580-040-0205 and 0215 provides and expands economic opportunities for Minority Business Enterprises, Women Business Enterprises and Emerging Small Businesses by offering potential contracting and subcontracting opportunities through contracts. Notices of all solicitations using the formal bidding process, described in PCC 302-02: Bidding Process, shall be provided to the Advocate for Minority, Women and Emerging Small Business and the Oregon Department of Administrative Services for the Oregon Opportunity Register and Clearinghouse.
OSU and its departments shall not knowingly contract with or procure goods and services with any organization, business entity, or individual that discriminates on the basis of age, disability, national origin, race, marital status, religion, sex, or sexual orientation.
For procurements of goods and services, bidders and proposers shall certify, as part of the bid or proposal documents accompanying the bid or proposal on a public contract, that such bidder or proposer has not discriminated against minority, women, or emerging small business enterprises in obtaining any required subcontracts.
For construction contracting, OSU utilizes Affirmative Action procedures and makes the appropriate forms available to demonstrate compliance with OMWESB regulations.