The Office of Small Business Assistance (OSBA) serves as an ombudsman specifically for Oregon’s small businesses and nonprofits with 100 or fewer employees. An ombudsman is an impartial complaint handler for the public – a neutral third party empowered to raise and investigate issues.
OSBA investigates complaints from small businesses about state government agencies. We also have limited authority to assist small businesses with concerns about local governments, including local service districts and special districts.
We do not investigate complaints about:
- Federal agencies
- The legislative branch
- The judicial branch (including attorneys, judges, or other court officials)
- School districts, education service districts, charter schools, community college districts, or public universities
- Public corporations such as SAIF
- Elected officials at any level of government
- Homeowner associations (HOAs)
- Private parties (whether individuals, private nonprofits, or for-profit entities) – in other words, we don’t investigate business-to-business complaints.
Even when a matter falls within our jurisdiction, we do not take complaints from third parties. This means your accountant, your bookkeeper, or your attorney can’t file a complaint on your behalf. We work only with a business owner or principal. When the complainant is a corporation, we work with its officers, directors, or designated employees.
Before contacting OSBA to file a complaint, you’ll first need to attempt to resolve the issue with the agency. One of the first questions we ask small businesses that reach out to us is: What have you done to resolve the issue yourself?
If you have appeal rights or if an alternative remedy is available, we won’t investigate your complaint. Furthermore, we don’t investigate a complaint when it is the subject of pending litigation or a pending contested case proceeding.
To file a complaint, please contact OSBA and describe your problem.