Whenever there is a need to engage a consultant, the Commissioner of Transportation shall notify all firms that are prequalified in accordance with section 13b-20e in the category of services being sought by the department. If the prequalified list contains fewer than five consulting firms or does not include the area of expertise required by the department, the commissioner shall publish a notice in appropriate professional magazines, professional newsletters or on-line professional web sites, indicating the general scope of the assignment and requesting responses in accordance with subsection (b) of section 13b-20e, and on the Department of Administrative Services State Contracting Portal. Responses shall be received at the Department of Transportation not later than fourteen days after the last date on which the notice is published, unless additional time is specifically authorized by the commissioner, or not later than any specific date set forth in such notice. For certain specialized projects the notice may also solicit a full work proposal in addition to the technical qualifications of a firm.