Sec. 23. (a) Except as provided in subsection (b), an entity shall consider statements in the order in which the statements are received by the entity.
(b) A statement provided by a new applicant who desires to bid on an advertised project must be received not later than forty-five (45) calendar days before the bid opening to receive consideration for that bid opening. A statement provided by a contractor applying for prequalification renewal must be received at least fifteen (15) calendar days before the bid opening date to receive consideration for that bid opening.