(1) Agency Selection Committee. A governmental body shall establish its own architect-engineer, construction management, and land surveying services selection committee, referred to as the agency selection committee, which must be composed of those individuals the agency head determines to be qualified to make an informed decision as to the most competent and qualified firm for the proposed project. The head of the governmental body or his qualified responsible designee shall sit as a permanent member of the agency selection committee for the purpose of coordinating and accounting for the committee’s work. To assist an agency selection committee in the selection of firms to be employed for significant or highly technical projects and to facilitate prompt selections, the agency selection committee may invite the State Engineer or his designee to sit as a nonvoting member of the committee.

(2)(a) Advertisement of Project Description. The agency selection committee is responsible for:

(i) developing a description of the proposed project;

(ii) enumerating all required professional services for that project; and

(iii) preparing a formal invitation to firms for submission of information.

(b) The invitation must include, but not be limited to, the project title, the general scope of work, a description of all professional services required for that project, the submission deadline, and how interested firms may apply for consideration. The agency selection committee shall file a copy of the project description and the invitation with the State Engineer’s Office. Adequate notice of the invitation must be given at a reasonable time before the date set forth in it for receipt of responses. The invitation must be advertised formally in an official state government publication. The manner in which this official state government publication must be published, the content of the publication itself, the frequency of the publication, the method for subscription to the publication, and the manner by which the publication is distributed must be established by regulation of the board.

(3) Response to Invitation. The date for submission of information from interested persons or firms in response to an invitation must not be less than fifteen days after publication of the invitation. Interested architect-engineer, construction management, and land surveying persons or firms shall respond to the invitation with the submission of a current and accurate Federal Standard Form 330, Architect-Engineer and Related Services Questionnaire, or successor form or similar information as the State Engineer may specify in the Manual for Planning and Execution of State Permanent Improvement Projects, Part II, and other information that the particular invitation may require.

(4) Interviews with Interested Firms. Following receipt of information from all interested persons and firms, the agency selection committee shall hold interviews with at least three persons or firms who respond to the committee’s advertisement and who are considered most qualified on the basis of information available before the interviews. A list of firms selected for interview must be sent to all firms that submitted information in response to the advertisement, before the date selected for the interviews. If less than three persons or firms respond to the advertisement, the committee shall hold interviews with those that did respond. The agency selection committee’s determination as to which are to be interviewed must be in writing and based upon its review and evaluation of all submitted materials. The written report of the committee must list specifically the names of all persons and firms that responded to the advertisement and enumerate the reasons of the committee for selecting those to be interviewed. The purpose of the interviews is to provide the further information that may be required by the agency selection committee to fully acquaint itself with the relative qualifications of the several interested firms.

(5) Selection and Ranking of the Three Most Qualified.

(a) The agency selection committee shall evaluate each of the persons or firms interviewed in view of their:

(i) past performance;

(ii) the ability of professional personnel;

(iii) demonstrated ability to meet time and budget requirements;

(iv) location and knowledge of the locality of the project if the application of this criterion leaves an appropriate number of qualified firms, given the nature and size of the project;

(v) recent, current, and projected workloads of the firms;

(vi) creativity and insight related to the project;

(vii) related experience on similar projects;

(viii) volume of work awarded by the using agency to the person or firm during the previous five years, with the objective of effectuating an equitable distribution of contracts by the State among qualified firms including Minority Business Enterprises certified by the South Carolina Office of Small and Minority Business Assistance and firms that have not had previous state work; and

(ix) any other special qualification required pursuant to the solicitation of the using agency.

(b) Based upon these evaluations, the agency selection committee shall select the three persons or firms that, in its judgment, are the best qualified, ranking the three in priority order. The agency selection committee’s report ranking the three chosen persons or firms must be in writing and include data substantiating its determinations.

(6) Notice of Selection and Ranking. When it is determined by the agency that the ranking report is final, written notification of the highest ranked person or firm must be sent immediately to all firms interviewed.

(7) Negotiation of Contract. The governing body of the governmental body or its designee shall negotiate a contract for services with the most qualified person or firm at a compensation that is fair and reasonable to the State. If the governing body of the governmental body or its designee is unable to negotiate a satisfactory contract with this person or firm, negotiations must be terminated formally. Negotiations must commence in the same manner with the second and then the third most qualified until a satisfactory contract is negotiated. If an agreement is not reached with one of the three, additional persons or firms in order of their competence and qualifications must be selected after consultation with the agency selection committee, and negotiations must be continued in the same manner until agreement is reached.

(8) State Engineer’s Office Review. The head of the governmental body shall submit the following documents to the State Engineer’s Office for its review:

(a) the written report of the agency selection committee, listing the persons or firms that responded to the invitation to submit information and enumerating the reasons of the committee for selecting the particular ones to be interviewed;

(b) the written ranking report of the agency selection committee and all data substantiating the determinations made in that report; and

(c) the tentative contract between the governmental body and the selected person or firm.

(9) Approval or Disagreement by State Engineer’s Office. The State Engineer’s Office has ten days to review the data submitted by the agency selection committee, and to determine its position with respect to the particular person or firm recommended for approval by the agency. If the State Engineer’s Office disagrees with the proposal, it may contest the proposal by submitting the matter to the board for decision. In the event of approval, the State Engineer’s Office shall notify immediately in writing the governmental body and the person or firm selected of the award and authorize the governmental body to execute a contract with the selected person or firm. In the event of disagreement, the State Engineer’s Office immediately shall notify the governmental body in writing of its intention to contest the ranking and the reasons for it. All contract negotiations by the governing body must be suspended pending a decision by the board concerning a contested ranking. The board shall hear contests at its next regularly scheduled meeting after notification of the governmental body. If the board rules in support of the State Engineer’s Office position, the governmental body shall submit the name of another person or firm to the State Engineer’s Office for consideration, selected in accordance with the procedures prescribed in this section. If the board rules in support of the governmental body, the governmental body must be notified in writing and authorized to execute a contract with the selected person or firm.