The division shall establish a unified procedure for the certification of a business as a minority business or women’s business, for the purpose of establishing eligibility to bid on public contracts.

In establishing and administering the procedure required by this section, the director shall insure that the application and certification process is clear, concise, and, to the extent practicable, does not require duplication of effort on the part of the applicant or the division or the public agency administering the program. In furtherance of these objectives, the director shall:

a. Establish criteria to be used to determine the status of a business as a minority business or women’s business, as defined by section 2 of this act, which criteria, to the extent not inconsistent with this act, shall conform to federal law or regulations and criteria used by the division;

b. Provide a single form for application for certification, which form shall be written in a simple, clear, understandable and easily readable way, andˆinclude instructions as to the certification procedure and any additional documents or information required to be separately supplied by the applicant forˆa particular program;

c. Have the authority to require the payment of a single fee, to be established by the director, to compensate the division for its cost in administering the certification process;

d. Screen applicants to insure that businesses seeking certification are not misrepresenting their status as minority businesses or women’s businesses, as the case may be, and that the minority or women’s business applicants are, inˆfact, in the control of members of minority groups or women, and are not merely “fronts” for businesses controlled by persons other than minorities or women;

e. Monitor the status of certified businesses to insure continued compliance with the criteria for certification and control by the appropriate persons;

f. Compile, maintain and make available to the public agencies lists of businesses certified as minority businesses or women’s businesses; and

g. Provide for dissemination of information to interested parties, and theˆpublic at large, concerning the certification of businesses as minority businesses or women’s businesses, as required by this act.

L. 1986, c. 195, s. 4, eff. Dec. 23, 1986.