(a) “Firm” means any individual, firm, partnership, corporation, association, or other legal entity permitted by law to practice the professions of architecture or engineering, as defined in section 10000.1(e) of these regulations.

(b) A “Small business” firm is a firm certified as a “small business” in accordance with Section 14837 of the Government Code or its successor provisions.

(c) “Executive Director” is the Executive Director of the California High-Speed Rail Authority.

(d) “Authority” is the California High-Speed Rail Authority.

(e) The term “architectural and engineering (hereafter “A&E”) services” shall include all architectural, landscape architectural, environmental, engineering, land surveying, and construction project management services, as well as incidental services that members of these professions and those in their employ may logically or justifiably perform, in support of the aforementioned services, including permitting and environmental studies, right-of-way service, design phase services, construction phase services, public outreach and meeting facilitation related to the foregoing. “A&E services” shall not include legal services rendered to the Authority.

(f) “Project” includes a project as defined in Section 10105 of the Public Contract Code, or as defined in Public Resources Code Section 21065. Project shall also include any and all projects and works in which the Authority is authorized to engage or for which the Authority is authorized to contract pursuant to the High Speed Rail Act, Public Utilities Code sections 185000 et seq.

(g) “RFQ” is an acronym for Request for Qualifications, the solicitation document used to request a Statement of Qualifications of firms that perform A&E services.

(h) “SOQ” is an acronym for Statement of Qualifications, the response to an RFQ or annual announcement submitted by firms that perform A&E services.