5. a. In the procurement of architectural, engineering and land surveying services, no agency shall make, negotiate, or award a contract or agreement for the performance of such services with or to any professional firm which has not filed with the agency a current statement of qualifications and supporting data as prescribed under section 3 of this act.
b. For each proposed project, an agency shall evaluate current statements of qualifications and supporting data on file with the agency. The agency may solicit proposals or expressions of interest unique to the specific project which would in narrative form outline design concepts and proposed methods of approach to the assignment. The agency shall select, in order of preference, based upon the criteria included in the advertisement required by section 4 of this act, at least three professional firms deemed to be the most highly qualified to provide the services required, except that the agency may select fewer professional firms if fewer such firms responded to the solicitation or meet the qualifications required for the project.

c. An agency which intends or expects to make, negotiate or award a contract or agreement for the procurement of professional architectural, engineering, or land surveying services shall, before publishing an advertisement of notice with respect to any such contract or agreement, have adopted by regulation and have promulgated, in accordance with the “Administrative Procedure Act,” P.L.1968, c.410 (C. 52:14B-1 et seq.), the criteria by which it shall with respect to any such contract or agreement make the selection of qualified firms as prescribed by subsection b. of this section. The provisions of this subsection shall not be construed to require the adoption by an agency of regulations regarding the selection criteria to be applicable with respect to a particular contract if such regulations were previously promulgated and remain in effect with respect to such a contract.

L.1997,c.399,s.5.