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Committee hears bill to create Oregon Small Business Enterprise procurement preference
Summary
DAS and Business Oregon described a proposed program to give preferences to Oregon small businesses in state procurement, including a race- and gender-neutral Oregon Small Business Enterprise certification and a roughly six-month rulemaking timetable; implementation costs were not finalized.
The committee heard testimony on House Bill 2,337, which would direct the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) to establish a small-business procurement preference and create an Oregon Small Business Enterprise certification.
Debbie Dennis, deputy director at DAS, said the bill would implement a primary recommendation from a statewide disparity study DAS completed: to “establish a small business procurement program” that would allow agencies to set targets for Oregon-based small businesses and “offer additional programming, to support small businesses and to support agencies in, monitoring the program.” She said the dash replacement posted on OLISS would make the program race- and gender-neutral by creating a new Oregon Small Business Enterprise certification.
Chris Cummings, deputy director at Business Oregon, said Business Oregon would administer certification alongside DAS, noting Business Oregon already “is the state's entity responsible for administering, emerging women owned, veteran owned, and minority owned businesses.” He said the rule-making process to define program parameters is expected to take about six months.
Committee members asked how “targets” would be defined; Dennis and Cummings said targets would apply to firms holding the Oregon Small Business Enterprise certification and that rule making will determine size and income parameters. Committee members also asked about Oregon B Corps and employee-owned businesses; Business Oregon said it would check with staff and report back. On cost, speakers said implementation costs were still being worked out and “may come forward in the next session,” and noted current certification programs are funded by a general assessment across agencies.
No formal committee action was taken at this hearing; staff and agency witnesses said additional details — including certification rules, size parameters, and a cost estimate — will be developed during the rule-making process and reported back to the committee.
