137-047-0560 Personal Services Contract to Provide Specifications — State Agency Disqualification as Bidder or Proposer (1) For the purposes of ORS 279B.040(1), a reasonable person would believe that a person who assisted a state contracting agency, under a personal services contract, in the development of a solicitation for goods or services (or that person’s affiliate), would have an advantage in obtaining the public contract that is the subject of the solicitation if: (a) The specifications recommended by the personal service contractor for the sequence of services, incorporation of special service or fabrication techniques, or design of any goods or components or elements of goods that the state contracting agency published in its solicitation documents call for, expressly or implicitly, requirements that only the personal services contractor (or the contractor’s affiliate), or a limited class of individuals in the contractor’s area of specialty, have the ability to perform or produce or have the rights to perform or produce. (b) The rendering of solicitation document development assistance under the personal services contract gives the contractor knowledge of the state contracting agency’s special needs or procedures, not generally known to the public, that give the contractor (or the contractor’s affiliate) a material competitive advantage in competing for the contract for goods or services. (c) The rendering of solicitation document development assistance under the personal services contract gives the contractor, significantly in advance of other prospective bidders or proposers, knowledge of the solicitation document requirements that would allow the personal services contractor (or the contractor’s affiliate) a materially longer period in which to craft or refine a proposal in response to the solicitation documents. (2) For the purposes of ORS 279B.040(1), a reasonable person would believe that a person who assisted a state contracting agency, under a personal services contract, in the development of a solicitation for goods or services (or that person’s affiliate) would appear to have an advantage in obtaining the public contract that is the subject of the solicitation if: (a) Taking into account the personal services contractor’s announced areas of specialization, expertise or experience, the personal service contractor (or the contractor’s affiliate), or only a limited class of individuals in the contractor’s area of specialty, appear to have the capability to conform closely with the solicitation document requirements. (b) Taking into account the personal services contractor’s announced areas of specialization, expertise or experience, the personal service contractor (or the contractor’s affiliate), or only a severely limited class of individuals in the contractor’s area of specialty, appear to have the qualifications, training, experience or capacity to satisfy any minimum requirements that may be stated in the solicitation documents. (c) The solicitation documents for a contract for goods or services contain restrictions, deadlines or requirements that do not, when viewed objectively, reasonably promote rational procurement objectives of the state contracting agency. (3) If a state contracting agency engages a personal services contractor to advise or assist in the development of solicitation documents for a public contract for goods or services and the personal services contractor is engaged in the business of providing goods or services described in the solicitation documents, and the agency wishes to accept a bid or proposal from the personal services contractor under conditions described in section (2) or section (3) of this rule, the agency must apply to the Director of the Department of Administrative Services, as permitted by ORS 279B.040(2), for an exemption from the disqualification from the ability to submit a bid or proposal. Statutory/Other Authority: ORS 279A.065 Statutes/Other Implemented: ORS 279B.040 History: DOJ 2-2015, f. & cert. ef. 2-3-15 Reverted to DOJ 8-2012, f. 7-2-12, cert. ef. 8-1-12 DOJ 10-2014(Temp), f. & cert. ef. 7-1-14 thru 12-26-14 DOJ 8-2012, f. 7-2-12, cert. ef. 8-1-12