(a) Appeal means a written challenge by an interested party of a protest determination rendered by a public contracting entity, regarding a contract award that is subject to the approval of the Comptroller.

(b) Bidder means an individual, entity or other offeror submitting a response to a solicitation by a public contracting entity.

(c) Bureau of Contracts means the business unit within the Office of the State Comptroller that is responsible for reviewing and approving contracts subject to the Comptroller’s approval.

(d) Contract award means a written determination from a public contracting entity to a bidder indicating that the public contracting entity has selected a particular bidder under the procurement process.

(e) Interested party means a participant in the procurement process, and those who can establish that their participation in the procurement process was foreclosed by the actions of the public contracting entity and have suffered harm as a result of the manner in which the procurement was conducted.

(f) Protest means a written challenge by an interested party of a contract award that is subject to the approval of the Comptroller.

(g) Protesting party means an interested party who has filed a protest or an appeal with the Bureau of Contracts.

(h) Public contracting entity means any State agency, department, board, commission, office or institution; the State University of New York; the City University of New York; or any public authority, public benefit corporation, or other public or quasi-public entity which is awarding, or has awarded a contract subject to the Comptroller’s approval.

(i) Solicitation means a document issued by a public contracting entity, requesting a response to a procurement need, including an invitation for bids, a request for proposals, or another written method of seeking a bid or a proposal for a specified purpose.

(j) Successful bidder means the bidder whose bid or proposal has been selected for contract award by a public contracting entity; or, in the case of a contract entered into on a noncompetitive basis, an individual or entity that has executed a contract that is subject to the Comptroller’s approval.