(a) Within 30 days after receiving a notice of limited denial of participation, you may request a conference with the official who issued such notice. The conference shall be held within 15 days after the Department's receipt of the request for a conference, unless you waive this time limit. The official or designee who imposed the sanction shall preside. At the conference, you may appear with a representative and may present all relevant information and materials to the official or designee. Within 20 days after the conference, or within 20 days after any agreed-upon extension of time for submission of additional materials, the official or designee shall, in writing, advise you of the decision to terminate, modify, or affirm the limited denial of participation. If all or a portion of the remaining period of exclusion is affirmed, the notice of affirmation shall advise you of the opportunity to contest the notice and to request a hearing before a Departmental Hearing Officer. You have 30 days after receipt of the notice of affirmation to request this hearing. If the official or designee does not issue a decision within the 20-day period, you may contest the sanction before a Departmental Hearing Officer. Again, you have 30 days from the expiration of the 20-day period to request this hearing. If you request a hearing before the Departmental Hearing Officer, you must submit your request to the Debarment Docket Clerk, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 Seventh Street, SW., B-133 Portals 200, Washington DC 20410-0500.

(b) You may skip the conference with the official and you may request a hearing before a Departmental Hearing Officer. This must also be done within 30 days after receiving a notice of limited denial of participation. If you opt to have a hearing before a Departmental Hearing Officer, you must submit your request to the Debarment Docket Clerk, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 Seventh Street, SW., B-133 Portals 200, Washington DC 20410-0500. The hearing before the Departmental Hearing Officer is more formal than the conference before the sanctioning official described above. The Departmental Hearing Officer will conduct the hearing in accordance with 24 CFR part 26, subpart A. The Departmental Hearing Officer will issue findings of fact and make a recommended decision. The sanctioning official will then make a final decision, as promptly as possible, after the Departmental Hearing Officer's recommended decision is issued. The sanctioning official may reject the recommended decision or any findings of fact, only after specifically determining that the decision or any of the facts are arbitrary, capricious, or clearly erroneous.

(c) In deciding whether to terminate, modify, or affirm a limited denial of participation, the Departmental official or designee may consider the factors listed at 2 CFR 180.860. The Departmental Hearing Officer may also consider the factors listed at 2 CFR 180.860 in making any recommended decision.