D.C. Mun. Regs. r. 27-1617
An RFP for the construction of a road, bridge, or other transportation system, or a facility or structure appurtenant to a road, bridge, or other transportation system, may require offerors to submit visual quality concepts (VQCs) prior to the submission of their final technical proposals, for review and comment by the date specified in the RFP.
A VQC shall represent the offeror's approach to meeting the project design appearance goals set forth in the RFP.
An RFP requiring offerors to submit VQCs must specifically state the requirements for the content of a VQC; procedures for submission and resubmission of VQCs, including the date by which the VQCs must be submitted; procedures for review of and comment on VQCs; procedures for confidential meetings related to the VQCs; and methods for evaluating VQCs.
Before an offeror's submission of its technical proposal, the contracting officer shall meet with the offeror and discuss, on a confidential basis, whether the offeror's VQC meets each of the project design appearance goals set forth in the RFP. The contracting officer may invite to confidential meetings other attendees that the contracting officer deems useful for the purpose of assisting in the review of the VQC submitted by an offeror.
The contracting officer may also seek confidential review of a VQC by anyone deemed useful by the contracting officer, including independent technical advisors, for the purpose of assisting in the evaluation of the VQC. Any such confidential review shall be subject to the requirements contained in § 1629.4 of this chapter.
Following the confidential meeting and any confidential review, the contracting officer shall provide written comments to the offeror regarding whether the offeror's VQC meets each of the project design appearance goals set forth in the RFP. If the contracting officer determines that it is in the best interests of the District, the contracting officer may provide an offeror a reasonable opportunity to submit revisions to its VQC in response to the results of the confidential meeting or written comments issued to the offeror after the meeting. The written comments of the contracting officer shall set the date by which revisions to the VQC must be submitted by the offeror in order to be considered by the contracting officer.
For as many times as the contracting officer determines it to be in the best interests of the District, the contacting officer may permit the offeror to submit revisions to a VQC in response to the results of a confidential meeting or written comments issued to the offeror after the meeting. When the offeror is permitted to submit a revised VQC, the contracting officer shall meet with the offeror and discuss, on a confidential basis, whether the offeror's revised VQC meets each of the project design appearance goals set forth in the RFP. Following each confidential meeting and any confidential review, the contracting officer shall provide written comments to the offeror regarding whether the offeror's revised VQC meets each of the projects design appearance goals set forth in the RFP.
The contracting officer shall not discuss any offeror's VQC at a confidential meeting other than the VQC of the offeror with whom the contracting officer is meeting.
Nothing stated in a confidential meeting or included in a written record or summary of a meeting will modify the RFP unless it is incorporated into an amendment to the RFP.
The offeror shall be solely responsible for ensuring that the final technical proposal complies with the requirements of the RFP.
If an amendment to the RFP causes previously approved VQCs to become non-compliant with the project design appearance goals set forth in the RFP, then the offeror shall revise and resubmit its VQC for review and comment, in compliance with the terms of the amendment.
D.C. Mun. Regs. r. 27-1617