(a) Applicability. The rules in this subchapter address the manner by which the department intends to evaluate submissions received from private entities in response to requests for qualifications and requests for proposals issued by the department.     
      (b) Reservation of rights. The department reserves all rights available to it by law in administering this subchapter, including without limitation the right in its sole discretion to:      
        (1) withdraw a request for qualifications or a request for proposals at any time, and issue a new request;       
        (2) reject any and all qualifications submittals or proposals at any time;       
        (3) terminate evaluation of any and all qualifications submittals or proposals at any time;       
        (4) suspend, discontinue, or terminate negotiations with any proposer at any time prior to the actual authorized execution of a design-build contract by all parties;       
        (5) negotiate with a proposer without being bound by any provision in its proposal;       
        (6) negotiate with a proposer to include aspects of unsuccessful proposals for that project in the design-build contract;       
        (7) request or obtain additional information about any proposal from any source;       
        (8) modify, issue addenda to, or cancel any request for qualifications or request for proposals;       
        (9) waive deficiencies in a qualifications submittal or proposal, accept and review a non-conforming qualifications submittal or proposal, or permit clarifications or supplements to a qualifications submittal or proposal; or       
        (10) revise, supplement, or make substitutions for all or any part of this subchapter.       
      (c) Costs incurred by proposers. Except as provided in §9.153(f) of this subchapter (relating to Solicitation of Proposals), under no circumstances will the state, the department, or any of their agents, representatives, consultants, directors, officers, or employees be liable for, or otherwise obligated to reimburse, the costs incurred by proposers, whether or not selected for negotiations, in developing proposals or in negotiating agreements.     
      (d) Department information. Any and all information the department makes available to proposers shall be as a convenience to the proposer and without representation or warranty of any kind except as may be expressly specified in the request for qualifications or request for proposals. Proposers may not rely upon any oral responses to inquiries.     
      (e) Procedure for communications. If a proposer has a question or request for clarification regarding this subchapter or any request for qualifications or request for proposals issued by the department, the proposer shall submit the question or request for clarification in writing to the person responsible for receiving those submissions, as designated in the request for qualifications or request for proposals, and the department will provide the responses in writing. The proposer shall also comply with any other provisions in the request for qualifications or request for proposals regulating communications.     
      (f) Compliance with rules. In submitting any proposal, the proposer shall be deemed to have unconditionally and irrevocably consented and agreed to the foregoing provisions and all other provisions of this subchapter.     
      (g) Proposer information submitted to department. All qualifications submittals or proposals submitted to the department become the property of the department and may be subject to the Public Information Act, Government Code, Chapter 552. Proposers should familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Public Information Act. In no event shall the state, the department, or any of their agents, representatives, consultants, directors, officers, or employees be liable to a proposer for the disclosure of all or a portion of a proposal submitted under this subchapter. Except as otherwise expressly specified in the request for qualifications or request for proposals, if the department receives a request for public disclosure of all or any portion of a qualifications submittal or proposal, the department will notify the applicable proposer of the request and inform that proposer that it has an opportunity to assert, in writing, a claimed exception under the Public Information Act or other applicable law within the time period specified in the department's notice and allowed under the Public Information Act. If a proposer has special concerns about information it desires to make available to the department, but which it believes constitutes a trade secret, proprietary information or other information excepted from disclosure, the proposer should specifically and conspicuously designate that information as such in its qualifications submittal or proposal. The proposer's designation shall not be dispositive of the trade secret, proprietary, or exempted nature of the information so designated.     
      (h) Sufficiency of proposal. All proposals, whether solicited or unsolicited, should be as thorough and detailed as possible so that the department may properly evaluate the potential feasibility of the proposed project as well as the capabilities of the proposer and its team members to provide the proposed services and complete the proposed project.     
      (i) Project studies. Studies that the department deems necessary as to route designation, civil engineering, environmental compliance, and any other matters will be assigned, conducted, and paid for as negotiated between the department and the successful proposer and set forth in the design-build contract.     
      (j) Proposer's additional responsibilities. The department, in its sole discretion, may authorize the successful proposer to seek licensing, permitting, approvals, and participation required from other governmental entities and private parties, subject to such oversight and review by the department as specified in the design-build contract.     
      (k) Proposer's work on environmental review of eligible project. The department may solicit proposals in which the proposer is responsible for providing assistance in the environmental review and clearance of an eligible project, including the provision of technical assistance and technical studies to the department or its environmental consultant relating to the environmental review and clearance of the proposed project. The environmental review and the documentation of that review shall at all times be conducted as directed by the department and subject to the oversight of the department, and shall comply with all requirements of state and federal law, applicable federal regulations, and the National Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C. §4321 et seq.), if applicable, including but not limited to the study of alternatives to the proposed project and any proposed alignments, procedural requirements, and the completion of any and all environmental documents required to be completed by the department and any federal agency acting as a lead agency. The department:      
        (1) shall determine the scope of work to be performed by the private entity or its consultants or subcontractors;       
        (2) shall specify the level of design and other information to be provided by the private entity or its consultants or subcontractors; and       
        (3) shall independently review any studies and conclusions reached by the private entity or its consultants or subcontractors before their inclusion in an environmental document.       
      (l) Effect of environmental requirements on design-build contract. Completion of the environmental review, including obtaining approvals required under the National Environmental Policy Act, is required before the private entity may be authorized to conduct and complete the final design and start construction of a project. Additionally, all applicable state and federal environmental permits and approvals must be obtained before the private entity may start construction of the portion of a project requiring the permit or approval. Unless and until that occurs, the department is not bound to any further development of the project. The department, and any federal agency acting as a lead agency, may select an alternative other than the one in the proposed project, including the "no-build" alternative. A design-build contract shall provide that the agreement will be modified as necessary to address requirements in the final environmental documents, and shall provide that the agreement may be terminated if the "no-build" alternative is selected or if another alternative is selected that is incompatible with the requirements of the agreement.     
      (m) Public meetings and hearings. All public meetings or hearings required to be held under applicable law or regulation will be directed and overseen by the department, with participation by such other parties as it deems appropriate.     
      (n) Additional matters. Any matter not specifically addressed in this subchapter that pertains to the construction, expansion, extension, related maintenance, rehabilitation, alteration, or repair of a highway project pursuant to this subchapter, shall be deemed to be within the primary purview of the commission, and all decisions pertaining thereto, whether or not addressed in this subchapter, shall be as determined by the commission, subject to the provisions of applicable law.     
      (o) Performance and payment security. The department shall require a private entity entering into a design-build contract to provide a performance and payment bond or an alternative form of security, or a combination of bonds and other forms of security, in an amount equal to the cost of constructing the project, unless the department determines that it is impracticable for a private entity to provide security in that amount, in which case the department will set the amount of security. The security will be in the amount that, in the department's sole determination, is sufficient to ensure the proper performance of the agreement, and to protect the department and payment bond beneficiaries supplying labor or materials to the private entity or a subcontractor of the private entity. Bonds and alternate forms of security shall be in the form and contain the provisions required in the request for proposals or the design-build contract, with such changes or modifications as the department determines to be in the best interest of the state. In addition to, or in lieu of, performance and payment bonds, the department may require:      
        (1) a cashier's check drawn on a federally insured financial institution, and drawn to the order of the department;       
        (2) United States bonds or notes, accompanied by a duly executed power of attorney and agreement authorizing the collection or sale of the bonds or notes in the event of the default of the private entity or a subcontractor of the private entity, or such other act or event that, under the terms of the design-build contract, would allow the department to draw upon or access that security;       
        (3) an irrevocable letter of credit issued or confirmed by a financial institution to the benefit of the department, meeting the credit rating and other requirements prescribed by the department, and providing coverage for a period of at least one year following final acceptance of the project or, if there is a warranty period, at least one year following completion of the warranty period;       
        (4) an irrevocable letter signed by a guarantor meeting the net worth or other financial requirements prescribed in the request for proposals or design-build contract, and which guarantees, to the extent required under the request for proposals or design-build contract, the full and prompt payment and performance when due of the private entity's obligations under the design-build contract; or       
        (5) any other form of security deemed suitable by the department.       
      (p) Performance evaluations. The department will evaluate the performance of a private entity that enters into a design-build contract, and will evaluate the performance of the private entity's major team members, consultants, and subcontractors, in accordance with the requirements of this subsection. Evaluations will be conducted annually at twelve month intervals during the term of the design-build contract, upon termination of the design-build contract, and when the department determines that work is materially behind schedule or not being performed according to the requirements of the design-build contract. Optional evaluations may be conducted as provided in the design-build contract. Acts or omissions that are the subject of a good faith dispute will not be considered. After a performance evaluation is conducted, and for at least 30 days before the evaluation becomes final and is used by the department, the department will provide for review and comment a copy of the performance evaluation report to the entity being evaluated and, if that entity is a consultant or subcontractor, to the entity that entered into the design-build contract. The department will consider and take into account any submitted comments before the department finalizes the performance evaluation report. The results of performance evaluations will be provided to the entity that was evaluated and may be used in the evaluation of qualifications submittals and proposals submitted under §9.153 of this subchapter and §27.4 of this title (relating to Solicited Proposals) by proposers that include the major team members, consultants, and subcontractors evaluated.     
     Source Note:        The provisions of this §9.152 adopted to be effective March 15, 2012, 37 TexReg 1780; amended to be effective July 19, 2012, 37 TexReg 5334; amended to be effective September 14, 2016, 41 TexReg 7134