ORS 279C.110
Selection procedures for consultants to provide services

  • use of pricing proposals
  • compensation
  • protests
  • applicability
  • rules

(1)

A contracting agency shall select a consultant to provide architectural, engineering, photogrammetric mapping, transportation planning or land surveying services on the basis of the consultant’s qualifications for the type of professional service required. A contracting agency may solicit or use pricing policies and proposals or other pricing information, including the number of hours proposed for the service required, expenses, hourly rates and overhead, to determine consultant compensation only after the contracting agency has selected a consultant.

(2)

Subject to the requirements of subsection (1) of this section, the procedures that a contracting agency creates to screen prospective consultants and make a selection are at the contracting agency’s sole discretion. The contracting agency may adjust the procedures to accommodate the contracting agency’s scope, schedule or objectives for a particular project if the estimated cost of the architectural, engineering, photogrammetric mapping, transportation planning or land surveying services for the project does not exceed $250,000.

(3)

A contracting agency’s screening and selection procedures under this section, regardless of the estimated cost of the architectural, engineering, photogrammetric mapping, transportation planning or land surveying services for a project, may include considering each prospective consultant’s:

(a)

Specialized experience, capabilities and technical competence, which the prospective consultant may demonstrate with the prospective consultant’s proposed approach and methodology to meet the project requirements;

(b)

Resources committed to perform the services and the proportion of the time that the prospective consultant’s staff would spend to perform services for the contracting agency, including time for specialized services, within the applicable time limits;

(c)

Record of past performance, including but not limited to price and cost data from previous projects, quality of work, ability to meet schedules, cost control and contract administration;

(d)

Ownership status and employment practices regarding disadvantaged business enterprises, minority-owned businesses, woman-owned businesses, businesses that service-disabled veterans own, emerging small businesses or historically underutilized businesses;

(e)

Availability to the project locale;

(f)

Familiarity with the project locale; and

(g)

Proposed project management techniques.

(4)

If the screening and selection procedures a contracting agency follows under this section or creates under subsection (2) of this section result in the contracting agency’s determination that two or more prospective consultants are equally qualified, the contracting agency may use any process to select a consultant that is not based on the prospective consultant’s pricing policies, proposals or other pricing information.

(5)

Notwithstanding the requirement in subsection (1) of this section that a contracting agency may not solicit or use pricing policies, proposals or other pricing information until after the contracting agency has selected a consultant, a local contracting agency may use pricing policies, proposals or other pricing information as part of the local contracting agency’s screening and selection of prospective consultants if the local contracting agency:

(a)

States in solicitation documents for the procurement:

(A)

That the local contracting agency will screen and select prospective consultants as provided in this subsection;

(B)

How the local contracting agency will rank proposals from prospective consultants, with a specific focus on:
(i)
Which factors the local contracting agency will consider in evaluating proposals, including pricing policies, proposals or other pricing information, if the local contracting agency will use pricing policies, proposals or other pricing information in the evaluation; and
(ii)
The relative weight the local contracting agency will give each factor, disclosing at a minimum the number of available points for each factor, the percentage each factor comprises in the total evaluation score and any other weighting criteria the local contracting agency intends to use;

(C)

An estimate of the cost of professional services the local contracting agency requires for the procurement; and

(D)

A scope of work that is sufficiently detailed to enable a prospective consultant to prepare a responsive proposal.

(b)

Evaluates each prospective consultant on the basis of the prospective consultant’s qualifications to perform the professional services the local contracting agency requires for the procurement. The local contracting agency may use the criteria set forth in subsection (3) of this section to conduct the evaluation.

(c)

Announces the evaluation scores and rank for each prospective consultant after completing the evaluation described in paragraph (b) of this subsection. The local contracting agency may determine that as many as three of the top-ranked prospective consultants are qualified to perform the professional services the local contracting agency requires for the procurement and may request a pricing proposal for the scope of work stated in paragraph (a)(D) of this subsection from each of the top-ranked consultants. The pricing proposal:

(A)

Must consist of:
(i)
A schedule of hourly rates that the prospective consultant will charge for the work of each individual or each labor classification that will perform the professional services the local contracting agency requires for the procurement, in the form of an offer that is irrevocable for not less than 90 days after the date of the proposal; and
(ii)
A reasonable estimate of hours that the prospective consultant will require to perform the professional services the local contracting agency requires for the procurement; and

(B)

May include, at the local contracting agency’s request, additional pricing information that is limited to:
(i)
A description of each task that the prospective consultant understands as comprising the professional services;
(ii)
A list of each individual or labor classification that will perform each task, together with the hourly rate that applies to the individual or labor classification; and
(iii)
A list of expenses, including travel expenses, that the prospective consultant expects to incur in connection with providing the professional services.

(d)

Permits a prospective consultant identified as qualified under paragraph (c) of this subsection to withdraw from consideration for the procurement if the prospective consultant does not wish to provide a price proposal.

(e)

Completes the evaluation and selects a consultant from among the top-ranked prospective consultants that have not withdrawn as provided under paragraph (d) of this subsection, giving not more than 15 percent of the weight in the evaluation to each prospective consultant’s price proposal.

(6)

The contracting agency and the consultant that the contracting agency selects shall mutually discuss, refine and finalize the scope of, the rates and number of hours applicable to, and the maximum compensation level for the professional services and shall negotiate conditions including, but not limited to, a performance schedule for the project. The contracting agency may not pay a compensation level that exceeds a level that the contracting agency alone determines is fair and reasonable to the contracting agency. Authority to negotiate a contract under this section does not supersede any provision of ORS 279A.140 (State procurement of goods and services) or 279C.520 (Condition concerning hours of labor).

(7)

If the contracting agency and a consultant that the contracting agency selected are unable for any reason to negotiate a contract at a compensation level that is reasonable and fair to the contracting agency, the contracting agency shall, either orally or in writing, formally terminate negotiations with the selected consultant. The contracting agency may then negotiate with the next most qualified prospective consultant. The contracting agency may continue in this manner through successive prospective consultants until an agreement is reached or the contracting agency terminates the selection process.

(8)

A prospective consultant has a right to protest the contents of a contracting agency’s solicitation documents and the contracting agency’s selection of a consultant in accordance with:

(a)

Protest procedures in model rules the Attorney General adopts under ORS 279A.065 (Model rules generally); or

(b)

Protest procedures the contracting agency must set forth in rules that the contracting agency adopts, if the contracting agency adopts rules under ORS 279A.065 (Model rules generally) (6).

(9)

A goal of this state is to promote a sustainable economy in the rural areas of this state. In order to monitor progress toward this goal, a state contracting agency shall keep a record of the locations in which architectural, engineering, photogrammetric mapping, transportation planning or land surveying services contracts and related services contracts are performed throughout this state, the locations of the selected consultants and the direct expenses of each contract. This record must include the total number of contracts awarded to each consultant over a 10-year period. The record of direct expenses must include all personnel travel expenses as a separate and identifiable expense of the contract. Upon request, the state contracting agency shall make these records available to the public.

(10)

Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (1) of this section, a contracting agency may directly appoint a consultant if the estimated cost of the architectural, engineering, photogrammetric mapping, transportation planning or land surveying services for the project does not exceed $100,000.

(11)

Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (1) and (10) of this section, a contracting agency may directly appoint a consultant for architectural, engineering, photogrammetric mapping, transportation planning or land surveying services in an emergency. [2003 c.794 §91; 2003 c.794 §92; 2005 c.509 §§1,3; 2011 c.458 §4; 2015 c.565 §15; 2019 c.55 §1]

Source: Section 279C.110 — Selection procedures for consultants to provide services; use of pricing proposals; compensation; protests; applicability; rules, https://www.­oregonlegislature.­gov/bills_laws/ors/ors279C.­html.

279C.005
Definitions
279C.010
Applicability
279C.100
Definitions for ORS 279C.100 to 279C.125
279C.105
Contracts for architectural, engineering, photogrammetric mapping, transportation planning or land surveying and related services
279C.107
Public disclosure of contents of proposals for architectural, engineering, photogrammetric mapping, transportation planning or land surveying services
279C.110
Selection procedures for consultants to provide services
279C.115
Direct contracts for services of consultants
279C.120
Selection procedure for related services
279C.125
Architectural, engineering, photogrammetric mapping, transportation planning and land surveying services selection process for local public improvements procured through state agency
279C.300
Policy on competition
279C.305
Least-cost policy for public improvements
279C.306
Administrative enforcement of least-cost policy for public improvements
279C.307
Limitations in procurement of personal services
279C.308
Community benefit contract
279C.310
Limitation on contracting agency constructing public improvement
279C.315
Waiver of damages for unreasonable delay by contracting agency against public policy
279C.320
Contracts for construction other than public improvements
279C.325
Limitation on contracting agency awarding contract to nonresident education service district
279C.330
“Findings” defined
279C.332
Definitions for ORS 279A.065, 279C.307, 279C.335, 279C.337 and 279C.380
279C.335
Competitive bidding requirement
279C.337
Procurement of constructions manager/general contractor services
279C.340
Contract negotiations
279C.345
Specifications for contracts
279C.350
Exemption procedure
279C.355
Evaluation of public improvement projects not contracted by competitive bidding
279C.360
Requirement for public improvement advertisements
279C.365
Requirements for solicitation documents and bids and proposals
279C.370
First-tier subcontractor disclosure
279C.375
Award and execution of contract
279C.380
Performance bond
279C.385
Return or retention of bid security
279C.390
Exemption of contracts from bid security and bonds
279C.395
Rejection of bids
279C.400
Competitive proposals
279C.405
Requests for information, interest or qualifications
279C.410
Receipt of proposals
279C.412
Competitive quotes for intermediate procurements
279C.414
Requirements for competitive quotes
279C.430
Prequalification of bidders
279C.435
Effect of prequalification by Department of Transportation or Oregon Department of Administrative Services
279C.440
Disqualification from consideration for award of contracts
279C.445
Appeal of disqualification
279C.450
Appeal procedure for decision to deny, revoke or revise prequalification
279C.460
Action by or on behalf of adversely affected bidder or proposer
279C.465
Action against successful bidder
279C.470
Compensation for contractor on contract declared void by court
279C.500
“Person” defined
279C.505
Conditions concerning payment, contributions, liens, withholding, drug testing
279C.510
Demolition contracts to require material salvage
279C.515
Conditions concerning payment of claims by public officers, payment to persons furnishing labor or materials and complaints
279C.520
Condition concerning hours of labor
279C.525
Provisions concerning environmental and natural resources laws
279C.527
Inclusion of amount for green energy technology or woody biomass energy technology in public improvement contract
279C.528
State Department of Energy requirements and specifications
279C.530
Condition concerning payment for medical care and providing workers’ compensation
279C.533
Condition concerning employment of apprentices to perform percentage of work hours that workers in apprenticeable occupations perform on public improvements
279C.534
Advisory committee for monitoring implementation of apprenticeship condition in public improvement contracts
279C.535
Condition concerning steel material
279C.537
Condition concerning use of diesel engines in motor vehicles used in performing certain public improvement contracts
279C.540
Maximum hours of labor on public contracts
279C.545
Time limitation on claim for overtime
279C.550
“Retainage” defined
279C.555
Withholding of retainage
279C.560
Form of retainage
279C.565
Limitation on retainage requirements
279C.570
Prompt payment policy
279C.580
Contractor’s relations with subcontractors
279C.585
Authority to substitute undisclosed first-tier subcontractor
279C.590
Complaint process for substitutions of subcontractors
279C.600
Right of action on payment bond or public works bond of contractor or subcontractor
279C.605
Notice of claim
279C.610
Action on contractor’s public works bond or payment bond
279C.615
Preference for labor and material liens
279C.620
Rights of person providing medical care to employees of contractor
279C.625
Joint liability when payment bond not executed
279C.650
“Labor dispute” defined
279C.655
Extension and compensation when work suspended
279C.660
Compensation when contract terminated due to public interest
279C.665
Contractual provisions for compensation when contract terminated due to public interest
279C.670
Application of ORS 279C.650 to 279C.670
279C.800
Definitions for ORS 279C.800 to 279C.870
279C.805
Policy
279C.807
Workforce diversity for public works projects
279C.808
Rules
279C.810
Exemptions
279C.815
Determination of prevailing wage
279C.817
Determination of applicability of prevailing wage rate
279C.820
Advisory committee to assist commissioner
279C.825
Fees
279C.827
Division of public works project
279C.829
Agreement with other state to pay less than prevailing rate of wage
279C.830
Provisions concerning prevailing rate of wage in specifications, contracts and subcontracts
279C.835
Notifying commissioner of public works contract subject to prevailing wage
279C.836
Public works bond
279C.838
Applicability of state and federal rates of wage
279C.840
Payment of prevailing rate of wage
279C.845
Certified statements regarding payment of prevailing rates of wage
279C.850
Inspection to determine whether prevailing rate of wage being paid
279C.855
Liability for violations
279C.860
Ineligibility for public works contracts for failure to pay or post notice of prevailing rates of wage
279C.865
Civil penalties
279C.870
Civil action to enforce payment of prevailing rates of wage
279C.875
Criminal liability for intentional failure to pay prevailing wage
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