# Award of Contract (a) Prior to announcing an award, the CDE shall verify: (1) the applicant's eligibility for funding pursuant to section 18001 of this Division; and (2) as applicable, all applicants who have filed appeals have either been notified of the results of their appeal or the applicant has withdrawn its appeal. (b) The applicants will be awarded contract funding based on the applicant's score for the program narrative, the preference described in section 18002(d)(3), and the local child care planning council priority rankings established pursuant to Education Code section 8499.5(d). > NOTE: Authority cited: Section 8261, Education Code. Reference: Sections 8261 and 8444, Education Code. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://title5.caqualityearlylearning.org/selection-of-contractors/award-of-contract.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.