Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 200 § 200.065 — Fraudulent conduct prohibited; penalty and other sanctions

Fraudulent conduct prohibited; penalty and other sanctions. (1) A person may not fraudulently obtain or retain, attempt to fraudulently obtain or retain or aid another person in fraudulently obtaining or retaining or attempting to fraudulently obtain or retain certification as a disadvantaged business enterprise, a minority-owned business, a woman-owned business, a veteran-owned business or an emerging small business. (2) A person may not knowingly make a false claim that any person is qualified for certification or is certified under ORS 200.055 for the purpose of obtaining a public contract or subcontract or other benefit. (3) An affected contracting agency may withhold payment, may suspend or terminate a public contract and may impose on any person a civil penalty that does not exceed 10 percent of the contract or subcontract price or $5,000, whichever is less, for each violation of subsection (1) or (2) of this section. The person shall pay the penalty to the affected contracting agency. If the affected contracting agency does not impose a civil penalty on the person under this subsection, the Oregon Business Development Department may independently impose a civil penalty that does not exceed $5,000 for each violation of subsection (1) or (2) of this section. The person shall pay a penalty that the department imposes to the Certification Office for Business Inclusion and Diversity. (4) The department or an affected contracting agency shall investigate violations of subsection (1) or (2) of this section. In investigating a violation, the department or an affected contracting agency may require any additional information, administer oaths, take depositions and issue subpoenas to compel witnesses to attend and compel the production of books, papers, records, memoranda or other information necessary to carry out the department’s or the affected contracting agency’s duties. If a person fails to comply with any subpoena that the department or the affected contracting agency issued under this subsection or refuses to testify on any matter on which a person may lawfully be interrogated, the department or the affected contracting agency shall follow the procedure provided in ORS 183.440 to compel compliance. (5) The department or an affected contracting agency may disqualify from submitting a bid or proposal or receiving an award of a public contract, for a period of not more than three years, any person that under oath during the course of an investigation admits to violating subsection (1) or (2) of this section or that the department or the affected contracting agency finds to have violated subsection (1) or (2) of this section. Any contracting agency that has notice of the finding of the fraudulent certification may also disqualify the person from bidding on or participating in any public contract. [1987 c.893 §9; 1989 c.1043 §5; 1997 c.145 §4; 2009 c.830 §139; 2013 c.1 §21; 2015 c.148 §2; 2015 c.565 §6; 2023 c.497 §6]