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TITLE 43TRANSPORTATION
PART 1TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
CHAPTER 10ETHICAL CONDUCT BY ENTITIES DOING BUSINESS WITH THE DEPARTMENT
SUBCHAPTER FSANCTIONS AND SUSPENSION FOR ETHICAL VIOLATIONS BY ENTITIES DOING BUSINESS WITH THE DEPARTMENT
RULE §10.254Available Sanctions

(a) The available sanctions, in order of increasing severity, are:

  (1) a reprimand;

  (2) prohibition from participating in a specified agreement, whether the agreement was previously awarded or to be awarded or whether funds under the agreement have been paid or are to be paid;

  (3) a limit on the contract amount or amount of funds that may be awarded or paid to the entity for a period of not more than 60 months; or

  (4) debarment of the entity for a period of not more than 60 months.

(b) Relating to an engineering, architectural, or surveying service contract, the executive director may remove a person's or a firm's precertification provided under §9.33 of this title (relating to Precertification), and prohibit the person or firm from reapplying for precertification for the period set by the executive director, if a ground for removal of precertification under §10.101 of this chapter (relating to Required Conduct) exists.

(c) Before imposing a sanction, the executive director will consider the following factors:

  (1) the seriousness and willfulness of the act or omission;

  (2) whether the entity has committed similar acts or omissions and if so, when those acts or omissions were committed;

  (3) whether the entity, or a third party on behalf of the entity, has fully compensated the department for any damages suffered by the department as a result of the entity's acts or omissions; and

  (4) any mitigating factors.

(d) For the purposes of subsection (c)(4) of this section, the following are mitigating factors:

  (1) the entity's adoption and enforcement of an internal ethics and compliance program that satisfies the requirements of §10.51 of this chapter (relating to Internal Ethics and Compliance Program);

  (2) the entity's cooperation with the department in the investigation of ethical violations, including the provision of a full and complete account of the entity's involvement; or

  (3) the entity's disassociation from individuals and firms that have been involved in the ethical violation.

(e) The removal a person's or a firm's precertification under subsection (b) of this section does not prevent that person or firm from participating in agreements with the department in a capacity that does not require precertification unless the executive director imposes a suspension under §10.253(b) of this subchapter (relating to Notice of Sanction; Suspension).

(f) If an entity commits multiple violations arising out of separate occurrences, the executive director may impose multiple sanctions.


Source Note: The provisions of this §10.254 adopted to be effective January 6, 2011, 35 TexReg 11951; amended to be effective September 19, 2018, 43 TexReg 6000

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