51.24—May the Director award a temporary concession contract without a public solicitation?
(a)
Notwithstanding the public solicitation requirements of this part, the Director may award non-competitively a temporary concession contract or contracts for consecutive terms not to exceed three years in the aggregate, e.g., the Director may award one temporary contract with a three year term, two consecutive temporary contracts, one with a two year term and one with a one year term, or three consecutive temporary contracts with a term of one year each, to any qualified person for the conduct of particular visitor services in a park area if the Director determines that the award is necessary to avoid interruption of visitor services. Before determining to award a temporary concession contract, the Director must take all reasonable and appropriate steps to consider alternatives to avoid an interruption of visitor services. Further, the Director must publish notice in the Federal Register of the proposed temporary concession contract at least 30 days in advance of its award (except in emergency situations). A temporary concession contract may not be extended. A temporary concession contract may not be awarded to continue visitor services provided under an extended concession contract except as permitted by paragraph (b) of this section.
(b)
Notwithstanding the last sentence of paragraph (a) of this section, the Director may award a temporary concession contract for consecutive terms not to exceed three years in the aggregate to authorize the continuing conduct of visitor services that were conducted under a concession contract that was in effect as of November 13, 1998, and that either had been extended as of that date or was due to expire by December 31, 1998, and was subsequently extended. The Director must personally approve the award of a temporary concession contract in these circumstances and may do so only if the Director determines that the award is necessary to avoid interruption of visitor services and that all reasonable alternatives to the award of the temporary concession contract have been considered and found infeasible. The Director must publish a notice of his intention to award a temporary concession contract to a specified person under this paragraph and the reasons for the proposed award in the Federal Register at least 60 days before the temporary concession contract is awarded. In addition, the Director must notify the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Resources of the House of Representatives of the proposed award of a temporary concession contract under this paragraph at least 60 days before the temporary concession contract is awarded. A temporary concession contract awarded under the authority of this paragraph will be considered as a contract extension for purposes of determining the existence of a preferred offeror under § 51.44.
(c)
A concessioner holding a temporary concession contract will not be eligible for a right of preference to a qualified concession contract which replaces a temporary contract unless the concessioner holding the temporary concession contract was determined or was eligible to be determined a preferred offeror under the extended concession contract that was replaced by the temporary concession contract under paragraph (b) of this section.