Authority to debar or suspend.
Columbus City Codes § 329.16
in effect329.16 - Authority to debar or suspend.
After consulting with the city attorney, the director of finance and management or designee is authorized to suspend an individual or entity from consideration for the award of city contracts if there is probable cause to believe that the individual or entity has engaged in any activity, as identified in this section, or in Section 377.01, which might lead to debarment. The suspension shall be for a period not to exceed three (3) months.
After reasonable notice to the individual or entity involved and reasonable opportunity for that individual or entity to be heard, the director of finance and management or designee, after consulting with the city attorney, is authorized to debar a person or entity from consideration of award of city contracts. The debarment shall be for a period of not more than three (3) years.
The causes for debarment include the following:
(1) Conviction for commission of a criminal offense as an incident to obtaining or attempting to obtain a public or private contract or subcontract, or in the performance of such contract or subcontract.
(2) Conviction under state or federal statutes of embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of records, receiving stolen property, or any other offense indicating a lack of business integrity or business honesty which significantly affects responsibility as a contractor.
(3) Conviction under state or federal antitrust statutes arising out of the submission of bids or proposals.
(4) Violation of contract provisions of a serious character including deliberate failure without good cause to perform in accordance with the specifications or within the time limit provided in a contract, and/or a recent record of failure to perform or of unsatisfactory performance in accordance with the terms of one (1) or more contracts, provided that failure to perform or unsatisfactory performance caused by acts beyond the control of the contractor shall not be a basis for debarment.
(5) Any other cause which the director of finance and management or designee determines to be so serious and compelling as to affect responsibility as a contractor, including debarment by another governmental entity for any cause listed in this section.
The director of finance and management or designee shall issue a written decision to debar or suspend and shall send a copy of the decision to the debarred or suspended individual or entity. The decision shall state the reasons for the action taken and inform the debarred or suspended individual or entity involved of any available judicial or administrative review.
(Ord. No. 3062-2014, § 3, 12-15-2014; Ord. No. 1802-2020, § 9-21-2020)
Source: City of Columbus, City Codes and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/oh/columbus/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT3FITACO_CH329PRGOSEALPR_329.16AUDESUFetched: 10/27/2026