18-1-402. Administrative procedures -- exhaustion -- time limitations. Whenever any contracting agency of the state of Montana provides a procedure for the settlement of any question or dispute arising between the contractor and the agency, the contractor, before proceeding to bring an action in court under the provisions of this part, shall resort to the procedure within the time specified in the contract or, if a time is not specified, within 90 days after the question or dispute has arisen, provided:
(1) in a case in which a settlement procedure is provided by the contracting agency, all actions authorized under this section must be commenced within 1 year after a final decision has been rendered pursuant to the settlement procedure; and
(2) in a case in which a settlement procedure is not provided by the contracting agency, the action must be commenced by the contractor within 1 year after the cause of action has arisen.