SECTION 730:30-5-1. Department consultant contracts

(a)   The Oklahoma Department of Transportation may utilize consultant contracts to assist in the delivery of the Department's eight year construction work plan and other transportation improvements. All requests for consultant services must be approved by the Chief Engineer or an appointed designee. The Department will contract for professional services when one or both of the following conditions exist:

(1)   The inability to complete the required work within the desired time frame with available resources.

(2)   The work requires specialized experience or expertise that is not available within the agency.

(b)   The Department will utilize two (2) basic forms of professional service contracts:

(1)   Project Specific Contracts. Contracts that provide for a general project location and specific definition of the anticipated services that will be required.

(2)   Demand Service Contracts. Contracts that require a consultant to provide work and services on an as-needed or on-call basis. Demand service contracts that encompass all the preconstruction services necessary to provide a complete Plan, Specification and Estimate (PS&E) submission shall not exceed a total of five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) per consultant, per state fiscal year.

(c)   The Department will solicit for project specific contracts on an as-needed basis and for demand service contracts on a periodic basis. The Department will maintain a list of all consulting firms that submit a consultant information form. The Department will solicit for professional services from the list and will utilize the technological means available to notify interested consultants in a manner that will maximize their opportunity to respond. For unusual or specialized services, the Department may deviate from the list of consulting firms and solicit in a manner that will provide notice to the greatest number of consulting firms determined to be qualified and capable of providing the services required.

(d)   A consultant selection committee composed of representatives with knowledge and expertise in critical aspects of the projects and services will be utilized for the consultant selection for professional service contracts.

(e)   The Oklahoma Transportation Commission must approve each obligation of funds for engineering and planning work prior to contract execution.

[Source: Amended at 18 Ok Reg 1369, eff 5-11-01; Amended at 26 Ok Reg 19, eff 8-22-08 (emergency); Amended at 26 Ok Reg 1099, eff 7-1-09]