- (a) Following receipt of a notice of claim, the Director of the Office of the Arkansas Lottery shall review the claim and initiate negotiations with the claimant to attempt to resolve the claim.
(b) The parties shall begin negotiations within a reasonable period of time, not to exceed sixty (60) days following the later of:
- (1) The date of termination of the contract;
- (2) The completion date, or substantial completion date in the case of construction projects, in the original contract; or
- (3) The date the Office of the Arkansas Lottery receives the claimant's notice of claim.
(c) The office may delay negotiations until after the sixtieth day after the date of the event giving rise to the claim of breach of contract by:
- (1) Delivering written notice to the claimant that the commencement of negotiations will be delayed; and
- (2) Delivering written notice to the claimant when the office is ready to begin negotiations.
- (d) The parties may conduct negotiations according to an agreed schedule as long as they begin negotiations no later than the deadlines set forth in subsections (b) or (c) of this section, whichever is applicable.
- (e) The parties shall complete the negotiations that are required by this section as a prerequisite to a claimant's request for a dispute hearing no later than ninety (90) days after the office receives notice of a claim.
(f)
- (1) The parties may agree in writing to extend the time for negotiations on or before the sixtieth day after the office receives notice of the claim.
(2) The agreement shall:
- (A) Be signed by representatives of the parties with authority to bind each respective party; and
- (B) Provide for the extension of the statutory negotiation period until a date certain.
- (3) The parties may enter into a series of written extension agreements that comply with the requirements of this section.