The city council of the city of Glendale finds that contracting
with the city is an important municipal affair and that entering into
contracts with persons who fail to deal with the city in good faith
compromises the integrity of the contracting process and results in
the improper expenditure of public funds. The city intends to do business
in any way only with responsible persons, and by enacting this chapter,
it is the purpose and intent of the council to establish standards
of responsibility for all persons who do business with the city of
Glendale, and to set forth procedures for determining in advance of
submittal of bids or proposals on city contracts whether a contractor
has demonstrated the requisite responsibility, integrity and trustworthiness
to enter into contracts with the city of Glendale.
(Ord. 5544 § 1, 2006)
The following definitions shall apply for the purposes of this
chapter:
"Adequate evidence"
means information sufficient to support the reasonable belief
that a particular act or omission has occurred.
"Affiliate"
means a person who:
1.
Is the assignee, successor, subsidiary of, or parent company,
of another person; or
2.
Is a controlling stockholder; or
3.
Has the same or similar management of the debarred corporate
or other legal entity; or
4.
Directly or indirectly controls, or has the power to control,
another person, or is directly or indirectly controlled by another
person. Indicia of control include, but are not limited to, interlocking
management or ownership, identity of interests among relatives, shared
facilities and equipment, common use of employees, or a business entity
organized following the debarment, suspension, or proposed debarment
of a person having the same or similar management, ownership or principal
employees as the contractor that was debarred, suspended or proposed
for debarment, or the debarred person or the business entity created
after the debarment, suspension or proposed debarment in a manner
designed to evade the application of this chapter or to defeat the
purpose of this chapter.
"Contract"
means any written agreement in any form between the city
and another person and includes, but is not limited to, public works
contracts, agreements, leases, licenses, purchase orders or lease-purchase
agreements.
"Contractor"
means any individual person or business entity, firm, partnership,
corporation, or combination thereof who submits a qualification statement,
proposal, bid or quote or who contracts directly or indirectly with
the city for the purpose of providing any goods, services, labor and
materials to or for the city in exchange for city funds, including
without limitation any contractor, subcontractor, consultant, subconsultant
or supplier. The term "contractor" shall include any responsible managing
corporate officer who has personal involvement and/or responsibility
in obtaining a contract with the city or in supervising and/or performing
the work prescribed by the contract.
"Controlling stockholder"
means a stockholder who:
1.
Owns more than 25% of the voting stock of a corporation; or
2.
Notwithstanding the number of shares that the stockholder owns,
has the power to direct or control the direction of the management
or policies of a corporation.
"Debarment"
means the administrative determination against a potential
bidder or contractor declaring such potential bidder or contractor
to be irresponsible and disqualified from:
2.
Submitting responses to city's requests for proposals or qualifications;
3.
Being awarded a contract;
5.
Participating in a contract as a subcontractor, material supplier,
or employee of a prime contractor or another subcontractor for a period
of time specified in the debarment order issued by the debarment hearing
board;
6.
Directly or indirectly submitting offers for, or executing contracts,
or subcontracts with the city; or
7.
Conducting business with the city as an employee, agent, or
representative of another person.
"Debarment hearing board"
means a one to five member board appointed by the building
and fire board of appeals to hold hearings, take evidence, and to
make determinations about debarment for the city.
"Department"
means a city department organized under authority of the
city manager.
"Management"
means the officers, partners, owners, foremen or other individuals
responsible for the financial and operational policies and practices
of a person.
"Person"
has the meaning ascribed to it in Section
1.04.020 of this code. In addition, if a person is a corporate or other legal entity, it includes individuals who constitute the person's management. It also includes any individual or other legal entity that:
1.
Directly or indirectly submits offers for or is awarded, or
reasonably may be expected to submit offers for or be awarded, a contract,
or a subcontract under a contract; or
2.
Conducts business, or reasonably may be expected to conduct
business with the city as an agent or representative of another person.
"Preponderance of the evidence"
means proof by information that, compared with that opposing
it, leads to the conclusion that the fact at issue is more probably
true than not.
"Public works contract"
means a contract for the construction, reconstruction, maintenance,
or repair of public buildings, streets, utilities, and other public
assets.
"Relative"
means:
1.
An individual related by consanguinity within the second degree
as determined by the common law;
3.
An individual related to a spouse within the second degree as
determined by the common law; or
4.
An individual in an adoptive relationship within the second
degree as determined by the common law.
"Suspension"
means the debarment of a person for a temporary period of
time pending the completion of an investigation and any proceeding
before a debarment hearing board and any appeals therefrom.
"Willfully failed to cooperate"
means:
1.
Intentionally failed to attend a hearing and/or give testimony;
or
2.
Intentionally failed to provide documents, books, papers, or
other information upon request of the city manager, the debarment
hearing board, or the city council.
(Ord. 5544 § 1, 2006)
Debarment may be imposed on a person by the debarment hearing
board, or by the city council on appeal, in accordance with the procedures
established by this chapter on one or more of the following grounds:
A. Commission
of any act of:
1. Fraud,
bribery, collusion, or conspiracy,
2. Bid
rigging, price fixing or any act in violation of any state or federal
statute or municipal ordinance in connection with the bidding upon,
award, or performance of any public or private contract, or
3. Embezzlement,
theft, fraudulent schemes and artifices, fraudulent schemes and practices,
perjury, forgery, falsification, fabrication or destruction of records,
or receiving stolen property;
B. Commission
of any act indicating a lack of business integrity or business honesty
which could affect the person's or its affiliate's responsibility
or reliability of performance under a contract, including without
limitation, improper, aberrant or unethical conduct in connection
with the person's or its affiliate's performance of any public or
private contract;
C. Submission
of a bid, proposal, insurance policy, bond, guarantee or other document
that is known, or should be known, by such person to be false, misleading
or nonmeritorious or to contain false information;
D. Submission
of any false, misleading or nonmeritorious claim, demand or lawsuit
against any public agency, including the city;
E. A pattern
and practice of unjustifiably disregarding or failing to honor terms
or conditions of city contracts, including without limitation, repeated
unexcused delays and poor performance;
F. Substandard
performance on any city contract including, but not limited to, a
material breach thereof, a failure to complete work required thereunder
in a timely manner or within the contract price when such failure
is attributable to the negligent or wrongful actions or inactions
of such person, substandard quality of work, inadequate personnel
or equipment to complete the work in a timely manner, inability or
unwillingness to cooperate with city representatives, or any negligent
or wrongful failure to cooperate with any city department, or to comply
with a city policy which is applicable to the contract;
G. Knowingly
doing business with a debarred third person in performance of the
city's purchase of any supplies, materials and equipment or general
services contract awarded after debarment of such third person;
H. A verdict,
judgment, settlement, stipulation or plea agreement establishing the
person's violation of any civil or criminal law relevant to the person's
ability or capacity to perform or comply with the terms and conditions
of a city contract;
I. A conviction
under federal or state antitrust statutes involving public contracts
or the submission of offers or bid proposals;
J. Breach
of the duty of good faith and fair dealing including, a violation
of any local, state, or federal law or regulation applicable to a
contract or transaction;
K. Noncompliance
with any law governing the handling, transfer, storage or disposal
of hazardous materials or hazardous waste, or failure to perform a
contract in such a way that environmental damage results or a violation
of environmental laws or permits is committed;
L. Noncompliance
with labor or safety statutes and regulations including, but not limited
to, regulations or standards governing prevailing wage, occupational
safety and health, nondiscrimination requirements or other local,
state, or federal laws;
M. Evidence
that the person lacks financial responsibility, such as unpaid debts,
unfulfilled insurance or bond obligations or other evidence of financial
instability or irresponsibility;
N. Failure
to have or maintain in good standing all necessary licenses, permits
or other approvals required to transact business within the state
of California;
O. Any
other ground which the debarment hearing board, or the city council
on appeal, determines to significantly impair the ability of the person
to perform on a city contract including evidence that the person was
established to, or operates in a manner designed to evade the application
of this chapter or to defeat the purpose of this chapter.
(Ord. 5544 § 1, 2006)
Any city department head who, based on available evidence, has cause to believe that a contractor has engaged in any willful misconduct with respect to any city bid, request for qualification, request for proposals, purchase order or contract, or committed any act or omission relating to any matter consistent with the grounds for debarment specified in Section
4.14.050 may initiate debarment proceedings by filing a complaint with the city manager. The complaint must be in writing, and shall state the name of the contractor whose conduct allegedly merits debarment, and provide a specific and detailed narrative description of the conduct alleged to be grounds for debarment. Such charging official may issue the complaint regardless of whether such charging official awarded, was responsible for, or was involved in any way with the underlying contract or circumstances leading to the complaint.
(Ord. 5544 § 1, 2006)
The proceedings shall be as informal as is compatible with the
requirements of justice. The debarment hearing board need not be bound
by the common law or statutory rules of evidence and procedure, but
may make inquiries in the matter through all means and in a manner
best calculated to make a just factual determination. The standard
of proof for the debarment hearing shall be a preponderance of the
evidence.
(Ord. 5544 § 1, 2006)
Either the charging official or the contractor may appeal any decision made by the debarment hearing board to the city council in accordance with the uniform appeal procedure of Chapter
2.88 of this code. The decision of the city council shall be final.
(Ord. 5544 § 1, 2006)