Advertised sales shall be by sealed bids except as otherwise provided herein.
(a)
(1) Bids, conforming to the requirements set out in the advertisement of sale, along with a certified check, cashier's check, money order, or U.S. Treasury check, payable to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, for not less than 10 percent of the amount of the bid, must be enclosed in a sealed envelope marked as prescribed in the notice of sale. A cash deposit may be submitted in lieu of the above-specified negotiable instruments at the bidder's risk. Tribes submitting bids pursuant to this paragraph may guarantee the required 10 percent deposit by an appropriate resolution;
(2) The sealed envelopes containing the bids will be publicly opened at the time fixed for sale. The bids will be announced and will be appropriately recorded.
(b) The policy of the Secretary recognizes that in many instances a tribe or a member thereof has a valid interest in acquiring trust or restricted lands offered for sale.
(1) With the consent of the owner and when the notice of sale so states, the tribe or members of such tribe shall have the right to meet the high bid.
(2) Provided the tribe is not the high bidder and when one or more acceptable sealed bids are received and when so stated in the notice of sale, an oral auction may be held following the bid opening. Bidding in the auction will be limited to the tribe, and to those who submitted sealed bids at 75 percent or more of the appraised value of the land being auctioned. At the conclusion of the auction the highest bidder must increase his deposit to not less than 10 percent of his auction bid.