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<section article="gsf" article_name="State Finance and Procurement" number="13-105" title_number="13" title_name="Source Selection -- State Procurement Contracts" subtitle_number="1" subtitle_name="Methods of Source Selection">
  <level label="a">
    <text>A request for proposals for a lease of real property shall include:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>a work statement that shall be used as a basis for the evaluation of proposals;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>a statement of the factors, including price, that will be used in evaluating proposals; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>a statement of the relative importance of each factor.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>Subject to the requirements of Title 4, Subtitle 3, Part III of this article, a unit shall publish a request for proposals in the same manner as required for an invitation for bids.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <text>After proposals have been opened, the procurement officer shall reject any proposal that is unacceptable.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <level label="1">
      <text>If more than three proposals are submitted, the procurement officer may conduct negotiations with the offerors who, based on a preliminary evaluation in accordance with the evaluation factors, have submitted the three best proposals.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Negotiations are not required if the request for proposals:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>notified all offerors that negotiations would not be conducted; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>requested best and final offers.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="e">
    <level label="1">
      <text>The procurement officer:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>may establish a maximum fair market rental rate for each premises offered;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>during negotiations, may not disclose to an offeror any information derived from the proposal of a competing offeror, except price and information directly related to price; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>after negotiations, may reject a proposal that exceeds the maximum fair market rate.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>After receiving best and final offers:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>a procurement officer may conduct further negotiations with the successful offeror to obtain for the State the best price, conditions, and services; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>any modification of a successful offer must be in the best interests of the State.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="f">
    <text>By direct solicitation and without republication of notice, the procurement officer may acquire other offers if:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <level label="i">
        <text>negotiations and best and final offers fail to produce a lease for real property with terms comparable to market rental rates in the boundaries in which the unit must obtain the lease; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>the final offeror did not accept a lease with terms comparable to the market rental rates; or</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>the public notice of requests for proposals fails to produce a response or offer of a lease for real property.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="g">
    <text>If a procurement officer determines that renewal of an existing lease is in the best interests of the State, the procurement officer may negotiate the renewal without soliciting other offers.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="h">
    <text>After obtaining any approval required by law, the procurement officer shall award the procurement contract to the responsible offeror who submits the proposal or best and final offer determined to be the most advantageous to the State considering:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>the price and evaluation factors set forth in the request for proposals; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>the modifications to those factors under the negotiation process.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
</section>
