The following words and terms, when used in this subchapter, have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

1. (1) Audit Office--An office of the department whose internal function is to conduct independent reviews of departmental operations and procedures to ensure that they are functioning as intended and whose external function is to audit negotiated contracts including the review of cost reimbursement and indirect cost rate data.
2. (2) Consultant Certification Information System (CCIS)--A computer system used to collect and store information related to the department's certification of providers.
3. (3) Consultant selection team--The department's team that evaluates letters of interest, statements of qualification, interviews, and proposals and selects the provider based on demonstrated qualifications.
4. (4) Department--The Texas Department of Transportation.
5. (5) Design Division--A division of the department whose functions include providing guidance and oversight for the department's contracting processes and procedures for architectural, engineering, or surveying services.
6. (6) Executive director--The executive director of the department.
7. (7) Letter of interest--A document submitted by a prime provider in response to a notice of intent and evaluated by the consultant selection team, used as part of the long list stage in the standard and federal processes.
8. (8) Long list--The list of prime providers submitting responsive letters of interest, used as part of the standard and federal processes.
9. (9) Managing office--The department's organizational sub-unit responsible for overseeing the provider selection, leading the contract negotiations, administering the contract, and processing invoices.
10. (10) Managing officer--The head of a managing office.
11. (11) Non-listed category (NLC)--A formal classification, developed by a managing office, used to define a specific sub-discipline of work and provide the minimum technical qualifications for performing the work. NLCs address project-specific work categories not covered by the standard work categories.
12. (12) Notice of intent--A public announcement that advertises the department's intent to enter into one or more architectural, engineering, or surveying contracts and provides instructions for preparation and submittal of a letter of interest, used as part of the standard and federal processes.
13. (13) Precertification--A department process conducted to verify that a provider meets the minimum technical requirements to perform work under a standard work category.
14. (14) Prime provider--A firm that provides or proposes to provide architectural, engineering, or surveying services under contract with the state.
15. (15) Provider--A prime provider or subprovider.
16. (16) Relative importance factor (RIF)--The numerical weight assigned to an evaluation criterion, used by the consultant selection team to score letters of interest, statements of qualification, interviews, and proposals.
17. (17) Request for qualification (RFQ)--A public announcement that advertises the department's intent to enter into an architectural, engineering, or surveying contract and provides instructions for the preparation and submittal of a statement of qualification, used as part of the small contract process.
18. (18) Short list--The list of prime providers most qualified to perform the services specified in a notice of intent, as demonstrated by the letter of interest scores.
19. (19) Solicitation--A notice of intent or request for qualification.
20. (20) Standard work category--A formal classification, developed by the department, used to define a specific sub-group of work and provide the minimum technical qualifications for performing the work.
21. (21) Statement of qualification (SOQ)--A document prepared by a prime provider, submitted in response to a request for qualification.
22. (22) Subprovider--A firm that provides or supports, or proposes to provide or support, architectural, engineering, or surveying services under contract with a prime provider.

Source Note:The provisions of this §9.31 adopted to be effective February 21, 2013, 38 TexReg 994.