| (a) Following receipt of a contractor's notice of claim,
the chief administrative officer must review the contractor's claim
and the Land Office's counterclaim, if any, and initiate negotiations
with the contractor to attempt to resolve the claim and counterclaim.
(b) Subject to subsection (c) of this section, the
parties must begin negotiations within a reasonable period of time,
not to exceed 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 Land Office receives the contractor's
notice of claim.
(c) The Land Office may delay negotiations until after
the 180th day after the date of the act or omission giving rise to
the claim of breach of contract by:
(1) delivering written notice to the contractor that
the commencement of negotiations will be delayed; and
(2) delivering written notice to the contractor when
the Land 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 applicable deadlines set forth in subsections (b) or (c)
of this section, whichever is applicable.
(e) Subject to subsection (f) of this section, the
parties must complete the negotiations that are required by this subchapter
as a prerequisite to a contractor's request for contested case hearing
no later than 270 days after the Land Office receives the contractor's
notice of claim.
(f) The parties may agree in writing to extend the
time for negotiations on or before the 270th day after the Land Office
receives the contractor's notice of claim. The agreement must be signed
by the authorized representatives of the parties. The parties may
enter into multiple consecutive agreements to extend the time for
negotiations.
(g) The contractor may request a contested case hearing
before SOAH pursuant to §3.72 of this subchapter (relating to
Request for Contested Case Hearing) after the 270th day after the
Land Office receives the contractor's notice of claim, or the expiration
of any extension agreed to under subsection (f) of this section.
(h) The parties may agree to mediate the dispute at
any time before the 270th day after the Land Office receives the contractor's
notice of claim or before the expiration of any extension agreed to
by the parties pursuant to subsection (f) of this section. The mediation
shall be governed by §§3.73-80 of this subchapter.
(i) Nothing in this section is intended to prevent
the parties from commencing negotiations earlier than the deadlines
established in subsections (b) and (c) of this section, or from continuing
or resuming negotiations after the contractor requests a contested
case hearing before SOAH.
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