Responsible_Contractor_A-1_Form_Sept2021_-_Copy.pdf

Revised 9/9/2021

RESPONSIBLE CONTRACTOR VERIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION OF COMPLIANCE

Minn. Stat. § 16C.285, Subd. 7. IMPLEMENTATION. … any prime contractor or subcontractor that does not meet the minimum criteria in subdivision 3 or fails to verify that it meets those criteria is not a responsible contractor and is not eligible to be awarded a construction contract for the project or to perform work on the project…

Minn. Stat. § 16C.285, Subd. 3. RESPONSIBLE CONTRACTOR, MINIMUM CRITERIA. "Responsible contractor" means a contractor that conforms to the responsibility requirements in the solicitation document for its portion of the work on the project and verifies that it meets the following minimum criteria:

(1) The Contractor:

(i) is in compliance with workers' compensation and unemployment insurance requirements;

(ii) is currently registered with the Department of Revenue and the Department of Employment and Economic Development if it has employees;

(iii) has a valid federal tax identification number or a valid Social Security number if an individual; and

(iv) has filed a certificate of authority to transact business in Minnesota with the Secretary of State if a foreign corporation or cooperative.

(2) The contractor or related entity is in compliance with and, during the three-year period before submitting the verification, has not violated section 177.24, 177.25, 177.41 to 177.44, 181.13, 181.14, or 181.722, and has not violated United States Code, title 29, sections 201 to 219, or United States Code, title 40, sections 3141 to 3148. For purposes of this clause, a violation occurs when a contractor or related entity:

(i) repeatedly fails to pay statutorily required wages or penalties on one or more separate projects for a total underpayment of $25,000 or more within the three-year period;

(ii) has been issued an order to comply by the commissioner of Labor and Industry that has become final;

(iii) has been issued at least two determination letters within the three-year period by the Department of Transportation finding an underpayment by the contractor or related entity to its own employees;

(iv) has been found by the commissioner of Labor and Industry to have repeatedly or willfully violated any of the sections referenced in this clause pursuant to section 177.27;

(v) has been issued a ruling or findings of underpayment by the administrator of the Wage and Hour Division of the United States Department of Labor that have become final or have been upheld by an administrative law judge or the Administrative Review Board; or

(vi) has been found liable for underpayment of wages or penalties or misrepresenting a construction worker as an independent contractor in an action brought in a court having jurisdiction. Provided that, if the contractor or related entity contests a determination of underpayment by the Department of Transportation in a contested case proceeding, a violation does not occur until the contested case proceeding has concluded with a determination that the contractor or related entity underpaid wages or penalties;*

(vii) has been convicted of a violation of section 609.52, subdivision 2, clause (19).

(3) The contractor or related entity is in compliance with and, during the three-year period before submitting the verification, has not violated section 181.723 or chapter 326B. For purposes of this clause, a violation occurs when a contractor or related entity has been issued a final administrative or licensing order;*

(4) The contractor or related entity has not, more than twice during the three-year period before submitting the verification, had a certificate of compliance under section 363A.36 revoked or suspended based on the provisions of section 363A.36, with the revocation or suspension becoming final because it was upheld by the Office of Administrative Hearings or was not appealed to the office;*

(5) The contractor or related entity has not received a final determination assessing a monetary sanction from the Department of Administration or Transportation for failure to meet targeted group business, disadvantaged business enterprise, or veteran-owned business goals, due to a lack of good faith effort, more than once during the three-year period before submitting the verification;*

* Any violations, suspensions, revocations, or sanctions, as defined in clauses (2) to (5), occurring prior to July 1, 2014, shall not be considered in determining whether a contractor or related entity meets the minimum criteria.

(6) The contractor or related entity is not currently suspended or debarred by the federal government or the state of Minnesota or any of its departments, commissions, agencies, or political subdivisions; and

(7) All subcontractors that the contractor intends to use to perform project work have verified to the contractor through a signed statement under oath by an owner or officer that they meet the minimum criteria listed in clauses (1) to (6).

Minn. Stat. § 16C.285, Subd. 5. SUBCONTRACTOR VERIFICATION.

A prime contractor or subcontractor shall include in its verification of compliance under subdivision 4 a list of all of its first-tier subcontractors that it intends to retain for work on the project.

If a prime contractor or any subcontractor retains additional subcontractors on the project after submitting its verification of compliance, the prime contractor or subcontractor shall obtain verifications of compliance from each additional subcontractor with which it has a direct contractual relationship and shall submit a supplemental verification confirming compliance with subdivision 3, clause (7), within 14 days of retaining the additional subcontractors.

A prime contractor shall submit to the contracting authority upon request copies of the signed verifications of compliance from all subcontractors of any tier pursuant to subdivision 3, clause (7). A prime contractor and subcontractors shall not be responsible for the false statements of any subcontractor with which they do not have a direct contractual relationship. A prime contractor and subcontractors shall be responsible for false statements by their first-tier subcontractors with which they have a direct contractual relationship only if they accept the verification of compliance with actual knowledge that it contains a false statement.

Minn. Stat. § 16C.285, Subd. 4. VERIFICATION OF COMPLIANCE.

A contractor responding to a solicitation document of a contracting authority shall submit to the contracting authority a signed statement under oath by an owner or officer verifying compliance with each of the minimum criteria in subdivision 3 at the time that it responds to the solicitation document.

A contracting authority may accept a sworn statement as sufficient to demonstrate that a contractor is a responsible contractor and shall not be held liable for awarding a contract in reasonable reliance on that statement. Failure to verify compliance with any one of the minimum criteria or a false statement under oath in a verification of compliance shall render the prime contractor or subcontractor that makes the false statement ineligible to be awarded a construction contract on the project for which the verification was submitted.

A false statement under oath verifying compliance with any of the minimum criteria may result in termination of a construction contract that has already been awarded to a prime contractor or subcontractor that submits a false statement. A contracting authority shall not be liable for declining to award a contract or terminating a contract based on a reasonable determination that the contractor failed to verify compliance with the minimum criteria or falsely stated that it meets the minimum criteria.

NOTE: Minn. Stat. § 16C.285, Subd. 2, (c) If only one prime contractor responds to a solicitation document, a contracting authority may award a construction contract to the responding prime contractor even if the minimum criteria in subdivision 3 are not met.

By submitting this document, I certify that I am an owner or officer of the company, and I swear under oath that:

1) My company meets each of the Minimum Criteria to be a responsible contractor as defined herein and is in compliance with Minn. Stat. § 16C.285,

2) I have included Attachment A-1 (below) with my company’s solicitation response, and

3) if my company is awarded a contract, I will also submit Attachment A-2 as required.

Company Name:

Printed Name:

Title:

Authorized Signature of Owner/Officer:

Date:

ATTACHMENT A-1

FIRST-TIER SUBCONTRACTORS LIST

SUBMIT WITH PRIME CONTRACTOR RESPONSE

NOTE TO CONTRACTOR:

Bids exceeding $50,000 MUST have a signed Responsible Contractor Verification and Certification of Compliance Form, including the completed A-1 Form, submitted with the bid. If not otherwise listed below, any subcontractors listed on any Small and Underutilized Business Program (SUBP) Participation forms(s) submitted with this bid (if required as part of the bid) are also incorporated herein by reference and considered to be listed below. By signing the Responsible Contractor Verification and Certification of Compliance Form, the bidder agrees to this incorporation by reference and that any certifications related to the below listed subcontractors is also true as to any subcontractors incorporated by reference.

Minn. Stat. § 16C.285, Subd. 5. A prime contractor or subcontractor shall include in its verification of compliance under subdivision 4 a list of all of its first-tier subcontractors that it intends to retain for work on the project.

FIRST TIER SUBCONTRACTOR NAMES

(Legal name of company as registered with the Secretary of State) If you have no subcontractors for this project, indicate by writing “None” in the first space below.

Name of city where company home office is located