(a) A concession contract will generally be awarded for a term of 10 years or less and may not have a term of more than 20 years (unless extended in accordance with this part). The Director will issue a contract with a term longer than 10 years when the Director determines that the contract terms and conditions, including but not limited to the required construction of capital improvements or other potential investments related to providing required services, warrant a longer term. It is the policy of the Director under these requirements that the term of concession contracts should take into account the financial requirements of the concession contract, resource protection, visitor needs, and other factors the Director may deem appropriate.

(b) The Director may include in a concession contract, as advertised in the applicable prospectus, an optional term or terms in increments of at least one year and not to exceed three years in total, where the total term of the contract, including all optional terms, does not exceed 20 years. The Director shall specify in the contract the performance criteria (including evaluation ratings) the concessioner must meet to be eligible to exercise such option term or terms. Such contract also shall provide that the concessioner may exercise an optional term or terms only if the Director determines that the concessioner has met the performance criteria defined in the contract.

(c) When the Director determines, in his or her sole discretion, that a substantial interruption of or change to operations due to natural events or other reasons outside the control of the concessioner, including but not limited to government-ordered interruptions, warrants lengthening the original term of a concession contract, the Director and the concessioner may amend the contract to add the amount of time to the term of the contract deemed appropriate by the Director, which in no case may be longer than three years and where the total term of the contract, including any added time, may not exceed 20 years.