1. (a) Agencies may make attendance at a solicitation conference mandatory by obtaining approval from the State Procurement Director or the head of the procurement agency.

2. (b) In seeking such approval, the agency shall:

   1. (1)

      1. (A) Issue a request letter, addressed to the director or the head of the procurement agency.
      2. (B) Email is sufficient to constitute a request.
      3. (C) Whether delivered by email or mail, the communication should be clearly marked or labeled “Request for a Mandatory Solicitation Conference”;
   2. (2) The written request should clearly articulate the factors and reasoning for why the solicitation conference should be made mandatory, as well as a citation to the mandatory language for a solicitation conference in the invitation for bids, request for proposals, or request for statements of qualifications and performance data; and
   3. (3) A copy of the draft invitation for bids, request for proposals, or request for statements of qualifications and performance data should be attached with the written request.

Codification Notes: This section was promulgated as R2:19-11-277 of the Procurement Rules prior to codification into the Code of Arkansas Rules.