(1) The department, in consultation with the Washington asparagus commission, and the industry at large, will establish application deadlines, application review dates and dates for notifying applicants if they have been selected to participate in the equipment lease program.

(2) The process for reviewing and approving applications is as follows:

(a) The review committee will review all applications, weigh the responses, rank the applications and make selection recommendations to the director based on the selection criteria which will include:

(i) The application is complete and includes all required information;

(ii) The percentage of equipment costs that the applicant is willing to match relative to the cost of the equipment;

(iii) The amount of labor savings to be achieved;

(iv) The type and reliability of the equipment requested; and

(v) The extent to which the equipment will be used in the production or harvesting of asparagus.

Additionally, the following balancing factors shall be used to determine the final ranking:

(A) Geographic location of applicant;

(B) Size of operation or business;

(C) Type of equipment requested, with preference given to requests for mechanical harvesting equipment.

(b) The director will review the committee's recommendations and ranking. The director reserves the right to modify the committee's recommendations and ranking. If the final ranking results in a tie, the director reserves the right to select the successful applicant(s) by lot.

(c) Once the director selects the successful applicants, applicants will be notified of the results within five working days of the director's decision.

(3) The department may implement additional application cycles if needed.