Oregon Administrative Rules
Chapter 137 - DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Division 47 - MODEL RULES PUBLIC PROCUREMENTS FOR GOODS OR SERVICES
Section 137-047-0720 - Protests and Judicial Review of Multi-Tiered and Multistep Solicitations

(1) Purpose. An Affected Offeror may protest exclusion from the Competitive Range or from subsequent tiers or steps of a solicitation in accordance with the applicable Solicitation Document. When such a protest is permitted by the Solicitation Document, then pursuant to ORS 279B.420(3)(f), before seeking judicial review, an Affected Offeror must file a Written protest with the Contracting Agency and exhaust all administrative remedies.

(2) Basis for Protest. An Affected Offeror may protest its exclusion from a tier or step of competition only if the Offeror is Responsible and submitted a Responsive Offer and but for the Contracting Agency's mistake in evaluating the Offeror's or other Offerors' Offers, the protesting Offeror would have been eligible to participate in the next tier or step of competition. (For example, the protesting Offeror must claim it is eligible for inclusion in the Competitive Range if all ineligible higher-scoring Offerors are removed from consideration, and that those ineligible Offerors are ineligible for inclusion in the Competitive Range because: their Proposals were not Responsive, or the Contracting Agency committed a substantial violation of a provision in the Solicitation Document or of an applicable Procurement statute or administrative rule, and the protesting Offeror was unfairly evaluated and would have, but for such substantial violation, been included in the Competitive Range.)

(3) Delivery. Unless otherwise specified in the Solicitation Document, an Affected Offeror must deliver a Written protest to the Contracting Agency within seven (7) Days after issuance of the notice of the Competitive Range or notice of subsequent tiers or steps.

(4) Content of Protest. The Affected Offeror's protest shall be in Writing and must specify the grounds upon which the protest is based.

(5) Contracting Agency Response. The Contracting Agency shall not consider an Affected Offeror's multi-tiered or multistep solicitation protest submitted after the timeline established for submitting such protest under this rule, or such different time period as may be provided in the Solicitation Document. The Contracting Agency shall issue a Written disposition of the protest in a timely manner. If the Contracting Agency upholds the protest, in whole or in part, the Contracting Agency may in its sole discretion either issue an Addendum under OAR 137-047-0430 reflecting its disposition or cancel the Procurement or solicitation under 137-047-0660.

(6) Judicial Review. Judicial review of the Contracting Agency's decision relating to a multi-tiered or multistep solicitation protest shall be in accordance with ORS 279B.420.