When an agency that is subject to Arkansas Procurement Law seeks to participate in a cooperative purchasing agreement that is administered by a public procurement unit or external procurement activity that is not subject to Arkansas Procurement Law, it will first need to submit the cooperative purchasing agreement to the State Procurement Director for a determination as required by A.C.A. § 19-11-256(b) and these rules. In seeking the determination from the State Procurement Director, the agency must include a verifiable economic justification as to why using the cooperative purchasing agreement is more cost effective or likely to realize savings than conducting a solicitation. If a determination has already been made with respect to a cooperative purchasing agreement, any other public procurement unit may rely on that determination.