Prehearing conference.

(a)(1) If an administrative hearing has been requested, the presiding official will direct the parties to attend a prehearing conference to consider: (i) Simplification of issues; (ii) Obtaining stipulations of fact and of documents to avoid unnecessary proof; (iii) Settlement of the matter; (iv) Discovery; and (v) Such other matters as may expedite the disposition of the proceedings. (2) Any relevant and significant stipulations or admissions will be incorporated into the initial decision. (b) If a prehearing conference is impractical, the presiding official will direct the parties to correspond with each other or to confer by telephone or otherwise to achieve the purposes of such a conference.