Annually the State Historic Preservation Office shall conduct a public meeting to receive comments concerning the established priorities of Oklahoma's statewide preservation program and accept project suggestions for inclusion in the State Historic Preservation Office's annual Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) application submitted to the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. The public meeting shall be advertised through publication of a paid legal notice in two (2) major newspapers in general distribution throughout the state and in a general press release. The notice shall also be given in the Oklahoma Historical Society's newsletter, Mistletoe Leaves. A direct mailing of the notice shall be sent to the State Historic Preservation Office's general mailing list which includes local governments, federal and state agencies, substate planning agencies, preservation organizations, former applicants for subgrant assistance, preservation professionals, Native American tribes, minority community organizations, handicapped concerns organizations, and interested citizens.
The public meeting shall be held in September unless the federal funding cycle necessitates a scheduling change.
During the public meeting all persons present shall be given an opportunity to comment on the statewide preservation program priorities and suggest projects. A record of all comments shall be maintained in the State Historic Preservation Office. Written comments and project suggestions shall also be accepted and considered in the development of the annual HPF application.
All project suggestions which are received by the deadline specified in the public notice and which are for activities eligible for HPF assistance will be ranked in accordance with the system set forth in Exhibit "A".
Based on comments and suggestions received from the public, the amount of and special conditions to the HPF award, and requirements for the SHPO's effective management of the National Register Programs (which include survey, nomination of properties to the National Register of Historic Places, the Section 106 review process, the review of federal tax incentives projects, the Certified Local Governments Program, the maintenance of the statewide preservation plan, and public outreach), Requests for Proposals (RFPs) will be issued annually for "survey and planning" projects.
Each RFP shall consist of a description of the project work to be accomplished, specifications for the delivery of project results, project personnel required, an estimated cost, and any other requirements or information necessary for potential subgrantees to prepare a response ("bid") for the project.
RFPs shall be advertised through paid legal notices in newspapers of general distribution within the state and in a newspaper of general distribution within the locality where the subgrant activity will occur or is the subject of the project. The list of RFPs shall appear in at least three (3) newspapers at least forty-five (45) days before proposals are due in the State Historic Preservation Office.
To further advertise the opportunity to respond to the State Historic Preservation Office's RFPs, notice shall be published in the Oklahoma Historical Society's newsletter, Mistletoe Leaves, and the notice shall be mailed to those individuals, organizations, and firms having previously submitted proposals to the State Historic Preservation Office or who have requested receipt of the list of RFPs.
All complete proposals received by the specified deadline shall be evaluated in accordance with the rating system presented in Exhibit "B". The individual, organization, or firm selected as the subgrantee shall be the one whose proposal received the highest score. When more than one proposal for a project is received and scores are the same or similar, the subgrant shall be awarded to the individual, organization, or firm offering the most competitive price, provided that price is adequate for accomplishment of the work specified.
Proposal evaluation shall be completed by the State Historic Preservation Officer in consultation with his/her professional staff.