850-RICR — Student Loan Authority

Chapter 00

Subchapter 00

850-RICR-00-00-1 Procurement Rules and Regulation

850-RICR-00-00-1 § 1.1 Authority

This Part is promulgated pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter §§ 37-2-9 and 37-2-13.

History

• Periodic Refile — effective from 2022-01-04 to current
• Amendment — effective from 2018-03-31 to 01/04/2022
• Adoption — effective from 2002-04-04 to 03/31/2018

850-RICR-00-00-1 § 1.2 Purpose

The purpose of this Part is to set forth procedures to be utilized during the Rhode Island Student Loan Authority (RISLA) Process procurement process. This Part is intended to further the purposes and policies of the State Purchases Act, as set forth in R.I. Gen. Laws § 37-2-2(b).

History

• Periodic Refile — effective from 2022-01-04 to current
• Amendment — effective from 2018-03-31 to 01/04/2022
• Adoption — effective from 2002-04-04 to 03/31/2018

850-RICR-00-00-1 § 1.3 Chief Purchasing Officer

RISLA's Chief Purchasing Officer shall be the Executive Director. The Chief Purchasing Officer shall have overall responsibility with respect to the procurement of all goods and services. The Chief Purchasing Officer may delegate to department heads the responsibility to carry out the agency's procurement activities and functions by issuance of a written memorandum.

History

• Periodic Refile — effective from 2022-01-04 to current
• Amendment — effective from 2018-03-31 to 01/04/2022
• Adoption — effective from 2002-04-04 to 03/31/2018

850-RICR-00-00-1 § 1.4 Definitions

For purposes of this Part, unless otherwise specified, all terms shall have the meanings ascribed in the State Procurement Law, R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 37-2.

History

• Periodic Refile — effective from 2022-01-04 to current
• Amendment — effective from 2018-03-31 to 01/04/2022
• Adoption — effective from 2002-04-04 to 03/31/2018

850-RICR-00-00-1 § 1.5 Source Selection

A.Items purchased through the state's Master Pricing Agreements as defined in 220-RICR-30-00-5.3(C)(1)(a) may be purchased by RISLA if approved by the Chief Purchasing Officer or his or her designee.

B.All RISLA contracts shall be awarded by:

1.Competitive sealed bidding;

2.Request for proposals; or

3.Small purchase procedures

C.Competitive Sealed Bidding shall be noticed and implemented in accordance with R.I. Gen. Laws § 37-2-18.

1.A bidder may make technical corrections to its bid prior to bid opening, but not thereafter.

2.Negotiations after unsuccessful competitive sealed bidding will be implemented pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws § 37-2-20.

D.Requests for Proposals

1.If the Chief Purchasing Officer determines in writing that the use of competitive sealed bidding is not practicable, in accordance with R.I. Gen. Laws § 37-2-19(a), a contract may be awarded by requests for proposals (RFP's).

2.RFP's shall be noticed and implemented in accordance with R.I. Gen. Laws § 37-2-19.

3.Discussions may be conducted with all responsible offerors who submit proposals determined in writing to be reasonably susceptible of being selected for award, provided that any such discussions shall not disclose information derived from competing offerors.

4.If discussions pertaining to the possible revision of the specifications are held with any potential offerors, all other potential offerors whose proposals are reasonably susceptible of being selected for award shall be afforded an equal opportunity to participate in such discussions.

E.An invitation for bids or a request for proposal may be cancelled or all bids or proposals may be rejected in accordance with R.I. Gen. Laws § 37-2-23.

F.Responsibility of bidders and offerors shall be determined in accordance with R.I. Gen. Laws § 37-2-24.

G.Sole source procurement. A contract may be awarded for supply or service without competition when the Chief Purchasing Officer or his or her designee determines in writing that there is only one source for the required supply or service.

H.Small purchases. Procurements not to exceed $5000 may be made without any formal competitive process so long as the Chief Purchasing Officer is reasonably satisfied that the procurement was obtained fairly and in the best interest of RISLA.

History

• Periodic Refile — effective from 2022-01-04 to current
• Amendment — effective from 2018-03-31 to 01/04/2022
• Adoption — effective from 2002-04-04 to 03/31/2018

850-RICR-00-00-1 § 1.6 Contracts

A.Written contracts or invoices for goods and services shall be executed in all instances. The term, price, and complexity of the subject matter shall determine the extent to which contracts shall be reviewed by RISLA's legal counsel. Such determination shall be made by the Chief Purchasing Officer.

B.Multi-year contracts for supplies or services may be entered into in accordance with R.I. Gen. Laws § 37-2-33.

History

• Periodic Refile — effective from 2022-01-04 to current
• Amendment — effective from 2018-03-31 to 01/04/2022
• Adoption — effective from 2002-04-04 to 03/31/2018

850-RICR-00-00-1 § 1.7 Consultant Services

Procurement of consultant services shall be noticed and implemented in accordance with R.I. Gen. Laws §§ 37-2-65 through 37-2-69.

History

• Periodic Refile — effective from 2022-01-04 to current
• Amendment — effective from 2018-03-31 to 01/04/2022
• Adoption — effective from 2002-04-04 to 03/31/2018

850-RICR-00-00-1 § 1.8 Legal Services

Procurement of legal services shall be done in accordance with R.I. Gen. Laws § 37-2-70.

History

• Periodic Refile — effective from 2022-01-04 to current
• Amendment — effective from 2018-03-31 to 01/04/2022
• Adoption — effective from 2002-04-04 to 03/31/2018

850-RICR-00-00-1 § 1.9 Code of Ethics and Professional Behavior

A.All RISLA employees shall be subject to the provisions of R.I. Gen. Laws Chapter 36-14 and all regulations promulgated by the Rhode Island Ethics Commission, and any special provision of this section.

B.It is the policy of RISLA that public officials and employees must adhere to the highest standard of ethical conduct, respect the public trust and the rights of all persons, be open, accountable and responsive, avoid the appearance of impropriety, and not use their positions for private gain or advantage.

C.All RISLA employees involved in procurement are required:

1.To consider, first, the interests of RISLA in all transactions;

2.To support and carry out RISLA policies;

3.To buy without prejudice;

4.To avoid any conflict of interest with respect to procurement, or the appearance thereof;

5.To obtain the maximum ultimate value for each dollar of expenditure;

6.To subscribe to and work for honesty and truth in buying and selling, and to denounce all forms and manifestations of commercial bribery;

7.To respect obligations and to require that obligations to RISLA be respected, consistent with good business practice.

8.Under no circumstances shall confidential information be made available to other vendors.

9.Personnel are prohibited from engaging in any conduct which may tend to cause any existing or prospective supplier of goods or services to believe that its relationship with RISLA will be affected by his purchasing or failing to purchase goods or services from any representative of the state.

10.It shall be the obligation of all RISLA employees to avoid conflicts of interest with respect to procurement, and to report promptly to the Chief Purchasing Officer all instances where a conflict exists or is suspected to exist.

History

• Periodic Refile — effective from 2022-01-04 to current
• Amendment — effective from 2018-03-31 to 01/04/2022
• Adoption — effective from 2002-04-04 to 03/31/2018

850-RICR-00-00-2 RISLA's Knowledge for College Scholarship

850-RICR-00-00-2 § 2.1 Authority

This Part is promulgated pursuant to R.I. Gen. Laws § 16-62-6(9).

History

• Periodic Refile — effective from 2022-01-04 to current
• Amendment — effective from 2021-02-01 to 01/04/2022
• Technical Revision — effective from 2018-07-08 to 02/01/2021
• Amendment — effective from 2018-07-08 to 07/08/2018
• Adoption — effective from 2004-08-03 to 07/08/2018

850-RICR-00-00-2 § 2.2 Purpose

Rhode Island Student Loan Authority (RISLA) is the recipient of funds which the Board of Directors has earmarked for use for scholarships or need-based educational grants. The criteria for eligibility are set forth in these Rules and Regulations.

History

• Periodic Refile — effective from 2022-01-04 to current
• Amendment — effective from 2021-02-01 to 01/04/2022
• Technical Revision — effective from 2018-07-08 to 02/01/2021
• Amendment — effective from 2018-07-08 to 07/08/2018
• Adoption — effective from 2004-08-03 to 07/08/2018

850-RICR-00-00-2 § 2.3 Basic Eligibility

A.An individual is eligible to apply for RISLA's Knowledge for College Scholarship if such individual:

1.Is a Rhode Island resident accepted at any accredited two (2) year or four (4) year college, university, or postsecondary proprietary school in any U.S. State when the scholarship is awarded, and provides validation of enrollment; or

2.Is an accepted student at an accredited Rhode Island two (2) year or four (4) year college, university, or postsecondary proprietary school when the scholarship is awarded and provides validation of enrollment.

History

• Periodic Refile — effective from 2022-01-04 to current
• Amendment — effective from 2021-02-01 to 01/04/2022
• Technical Revision — effective from 2018-07-08 to 02/01/2021
• Amendment — effective from 2018-07-08 to 07/08/2018
• Adoption — effective from 2004-08-03 to 07/08/2018

850-RICR-00-00-2 § 2.4 Application Process

An individual who meets the requirements of § 2.3 of this Part can apply by completing the registration and financial literacy quiz, located at https://www.risla.com/fin-lit-quiz. Upon completion of the quiz, the student will be registered to win for the month when the quiz was completed. Students may only win once per school year. Students are encouraged to take the financial literacy quiz in consecutive months during the school year but may only win once per school year. Registrations for eligibility are updated monthly and do not carry forward beyond the month when the financial literacy quiz was completed.

History

• Periodic Refile — effective from 2022-01-04 to current
• Amendment — effective from 2021-02-01 to 01/04/2022
• Technical Revision — effective from 2018-07-08 to 02/01/2021
• Amendment — effective from 2018-07-08 to 07/08/2018
• Adoption — effective from 2004-08-03 to 07/08/2018

850-RICR-00-00-2 § 2.5 Financial Literacy

Only individuals who answer the financial literacy questions are eligible for winning. The financial literacy questions are updated each month, focusing primarily on the topics of Budgeting, Credit, and Paying for College.

History

• Periodic Refile — effective from 2022-01-04 to current
• Amendment — effective from 2021-02-01 to 01/04/2022
• Technical Revision — effective from 2018-07-08 to 02/01/2021
• Amendment — effective from 2018-07-08 to 07/08/2018
• Adoption — effective from 2004-08-03 to 07/08/2018

850-RICR-00-00-2 § 2.6 Selection Process

Four (4) scholarship winners are randomly selected on the first (1st) business day of each month. Additionally, two (2) bonus winners will be drawn in June for a total of six (6) in the bonus month. Each winner is awarded a two thousand dollar ($2,000.00) scholarship after the student provides verification of college enrollment. Student must agree to have first name and last initial published on RISLA's scholarship website. RISLA reserves the right to determine whether eligibility requirements were completely met and the scholarship may be awarded. Scholarship funds shall be issued via co-payable checks to the winning student and the student's college or university of choice. A student's college or university of choice may change after registration but may not change after disbursement.

History

• Periodic Refile — effective from 2022-01-04 to current
• Amendment — effective from 2021-02-01 to 01/04/2022
• Technical Revision — effective from 2018-07-08 to 02/01/2021
• Amendment — effective from 2018-07-08 to 07/08/2018
• Adoption — effective from 2004-08-03 to 07/08/2018

850-RICR-00-00-2 § 2.7 Appeals

Any applicant who is aggrieved by any determination with respect to his or her eligibility for a scholarship may appeal such determination in writing to the Executive Director of the Rhode Island Student Loan Authority, 935 Jefferson Boulevard, Warwick, RI 02886 within twenty (20) days of said determination. The decision of the Executive Director shall be final.

History

• Periodic Refile — effective from 2022-01-04 to current
• Amendment — effective from 2021-02-01 to 01/04/2022
• Technical Revision — effective from 2018-07-08 to 02/01/2021
• Amendment — effective from 2018-07-08 to 07/08/2018
• Adoption — effective from 2004-08-03 to 07/08/2018

850-RICR-00-00-2 § 2.8 Nonavailability of Funding

The RISLA Knowledge for College Scholarship Program is subject to being amended, terminated or suspended by RISLA for any year for which there is not available funding for the program.

History

• Periodic Refile — effective from 2022-01-04 to current
• Amendment — effective from 2021-02-01 to 01/04/2022
• Technical Revision — effective from 2018-07-08 to 02/01/2021
• Amendment — effective from 2018-07-08 to 07/08/2018
• Adoption — effective from 2004-08-03 to 07/08/2018