137-047-0430 Addenda to Solicitation Document (1) Issuance; Receipt. The Contracting Agency may change a Solicitation Document only by Written Addenda. An Offeror shall provide Written acknowledgment of receipt of all issued Addenda with its Offer, unless the Contracting Agency otherwise specifies in the Addenda. (2) Notice and Distribution. The Contracting Agency shall notify prospective Offerors of Addenda in a manner intended to foster competition and to make prospective Offerors aware of the Addenda. The Solicitation Document shall specify how the Contracting Agency will provide notice of Addenda and how the Contracting Agency will make the Addenda available before Closing, and at each subsequent step or tier of evaluation if the Contracting Agency will engage in a multistep competitive sealed Bid process in accordance with OAR 137-047-0257, or a multi-tiered or multistep competitive sealed Proposal process in accordance with 137-047-0261. The following is an example of how a Contracting Agency may specify how it will provide notice of Addenda: "Contracting Agency will not mail notice of Addenda, but will publish notice of any Addenda on Contracting Agency's web site. Addenda may be downloaded off the Contracting Agency's web site. Offerors should frequently check the Contracting Agency's web site until Closing, i.e., at least once weekly until the week of Closing and at least once daily the week of the Closing." (3) Timelines; Extensions. (a) The Contracting Agency shall issue Addenda within a reasonable time to allow prospective Offerors to consider the Addenda in preparing their Offers. The Contracting Agency may extend the Closing if the Contracting Agency determines prospective Offerors need additional time to review and respond to Addenda. Except to the extent justified by a countervailing public interest, the Contracting Agency shall not issue Addenda less than 72 hours before the Closing unless the Addendum also extends the Closing. (b) Notwithstanding subsection 3(a) of this rule, an Addendum that modifies the evaluation criteria, selection process or procedure for any tier of competition under a multistep sealed Bid or a multi-tiered or multistep sealed Proposal issued in accordance with ORS 279B.060(6)(d) and OAR 137-047-0261 must be issued no fewer than five (5) Days before the beginning of that tier or step of competition, unless the Contracting Agency determines that a shorter period is sufficient to allow Offerors to prepare for that tier or step of competition. The Contracting Agency shall document the factors it considered in making that determination, which may include, without limitation, the scope of the changes to the Solicitation Document, the location of the remaining eligible Proposers, or whether shortening the period between issuing an Addendum and the beginning of the next tier or step of competition favors or disfavors any particular Proposer or Proposers. (4) Request for Change or Protest. Unless a different deadline is set forth in the Addendum, an Offeror may submit a Written request for change or protest to the Addendum, as provided in OAR 137-047-0730, by the close of the Contracting Agency's next business day after issuance of the Addendum, or up to the last day allowed to submit a request for change or protest under 137-047-0730, whichever date is later. If the date established in the previous sentence falls after the deadline for receiving protests to the Solicitation Document in accordance with 137-047-0730, then the Contracting Agency may consider an Offeror's request for change or protest to the Addendum only, and the Contracting Agency shall not consider a request for change or protest to matters not added or modified by the Addendum. Notwithstanding any provision of this section (4) of this rule, a Contracting Agency is not required to provide a protest period for Addenda issued after initial Closing during a multi-tier or multistep Procurement process conducted pursuant to ORS 279B.055 or 279B.060. Statutory/Other Authority: ORS 279A.065 & 279B.060 Statutes/Other Implemented: ORS 279B.060 History: DOJ 10-2011, f. 11-29-11, cert. ef. 1-1-12 DOJ 19-2007, f. 12-28-07, cert. ef. 1-1-08 DOJ 11-2004, f. 9-1-04, cert. ef. 3-1-05