(a) The fee for an inspection at a test-only facility operating under the contract in existence on the effective date of this section shall be as negotiated with the department, and shall not exceed the department's actual cost of the test-only service. This fee shall remain operative in all regions of the state until implementation of subsection (b). Thereafter, the inspection fees shall be as provided in subsection (b).

(b) Upon commencement of testing by a contractor pursuant to an amended contract, or a new contract developed in the competitive bidding process, the fee for inspection at test-only facilities operated by the contractor shall be the fee as negotiated with the department.

(c) The department shall publish notice of each negotiated inspection fee, initially and as it may subsequently be modified, in one or more newspapers of general circulation in each region of the state in which the contractor's test-only facilities are to charge the fee. The department may also publish such notice in the California Regulatory Notice Register.