Effective: September 29, 2013
Latest Legislation: House Bill 59 - 130th General Assembly
(A)(1) Subject to divisions (A)(2) and (3) of this section, a governmental entity shall not disburse money totaling twenty-five thousand dollars or more to any person for the provision of services for the primary benefit of individuals or the public and not for the primary benefit of a governmental entity or the employees of a governmental entity, unless the contracting authority of the governmental entity first enters into a written contract with the person that is signed by the person or by an officer or agent of the person authorized to legally bind the person and that embodies all of the requirements and conditions set forth in sections 9.23 to 9.236 of the Revised Code. If the disbursement of money occurs over the course of a governmental entity's fiscal year, rather than in a lump sum, the contracting authority of the governmental entity shall enter into the written contract with the person at the point during the governmental entity's fiscal year that at least seventy-five thousand dollars has been disbursed by the governmental entity to the person. Thereafter, the contracting authority of the governmental entity shall enter into the written contract with the person at the beginning of the governmental entity's fiscal year, if, during the immediately preceding fiscal year, the governmental entity disbursed to that person an aggregate amount totaling at least seventy-five thousand dollars.
(2) If the money referred to in division (A)(1) of this section is disbursed by or through more than one state agency to the person for the provision of services to the same population, the contracting authorities of those agencies shall determine which one of them will enter into the written contract with the person.
(3) The requirements and conditions set forth in divisions (A), (B), (C), and (F) of section 9.232, divisions (A)(1) and (2) and (B) of section 9.234, divisions (A)(2) and (B) of section 9.235, and sections 9.233 and 9.236 of the Revised Code do not apply with respect to the following:
(a) Contracts to which all of the following apply:
(i) The amount received for the services is a set fee for each time the services are provided, is determined in accordance with a fixed rate per unit of time or per service, or is a capitated rate, and the fee or rate is established by competitive bidding or by a market rate survey of similar services provided in a defined market area. The market rate survey may be one conducted by or on behalf of the governmental entity or an independent survey accepted by the governmental entity as statistically valid and reliable.
(ii) The services are provided in accordance with standards established by state or federal law, or by rules or regulations adopted thereunder, for their delivery, which standards are enforced by the federal government, a governmental entity, or an accrediting organization recognized by the federal government or a governmental entity.
(iii) Payment for the services is made after the services are delivered and upon submission to the governmental entity of an invoice or other claim for payment as required by any applicable local, state, or federal law or, if no such law applies, by the terms of the contract.
(b) Contracts under which the services are reimbursed through or in a manner consistent with a federal program that meets all of the following requirements:
(i) The program calculates the reimbursement rate on the basis of the previous year's experience or in accordance with an alternative method set forth in rules adopted by the Ohio department of job and family services.
(ii) The reimbursement rate is derived from a breakdown of direct and indirect costs.
(iii) The program's guidelines describe types of expenditures that are allowable and not allowable under the program and delineate which costs are acceptable as direct costs for purposes of calculating the reimbursement rate.
(iv) The program includes a uniform cost reporting system with specific audit requirements.
(c) Contracts under which the services are reimbursed through or in a manner consistent with a federal program that calculates the reimbursement rate on a fee for service basis in compliance with United States office of management and budget Circular A-87, as revised May 10, 2004.
(d) Contracts for services that are paid pursuant to the earmarking of an appropriation made by the general assembly for that purpose.
(B) Division (A) of this section does not apply if the money is disbursed to a person pursuant to a contract with the United States or a governmental entity under any of the following circumstances:
(1) The person receives the money directly or indirectly from the United States, and no governmental entity exercises any oversight or control over the use of the money.
(2) The person receives the money solely in return for the performance of one or more of the following types of services:
(a) Medical, therapeutic, or other health-related services provided by a person if the amount received is a set fee for each time the person provides the services, is determined in accordance with a fixed rate per unit of time, or is a capitated rate, and the fee or rate is reasonable and customary in the person's trade or profession;
(b) Medicaid-funded services, including administrative and management services, provided pursuant to a contract or medicaid provider agreement that meets the requirements of the medicaid program.
(c) Services, other than administrative or management services or any of the services described in division (B)(2)(a) or (b) of this section, that are commonly purchased by the public at an hourly rate or at a set fee for each time the services are provided, unless the services are performed for the benefit of children, persons who are eligible for the services by reason of advanced age, medical condition, or financial need, or persons who are confined in a detention facility as defined in section 2921.01 of the Revised Code, and the services are intended to help promote the health, safety, or welfare of those children or persons;
(d) Educational services provided by a school to children eligible to attend that school. For purposes of division (B)(2)(d) of this section, "school" means any school operated by a school district board of education, any community school established under Chapter 3314. of the Revised Code, or any nonpublic school for which the state board of education prescribes minimum education standards under section 3301.07 of the Revised Code.
(e) Services provided by a foster home as defined in section 5103.02 of the Revised Code;
(f) "Routine business services other than administrative or management services," as that term is defined by the attorney general by rule adopted in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code;
(g) Services to protect the environment or promote environmental education that are provided by a nonprofit entity or services to protect the environment that are funded with federal grants or revolving loan funds and administered in accordance with federal law.
(3) The person receives the money solely in return for the performance of services intended to help preserve public health or safety under circumstances requiring immediate action as a result of a natural or man-made emergency.
(C) With respect to an unincorporated nonprofit association, corporation, or organization established for the purpose of providing educational, technical, consulting, training, financial, or other services to its members in exchange for membership dues and other fees, any of the services provided to a member that is a governmental entity shall, for purposes of this section, be considered services "for the primary benefit of a governmental entity or the employees of a governmental entity."