Certain purchases through department not mandatory

(a) Unless otherwise ordered by the Department of Administrative Services, the purchase of supplies, materials, equipment, and services, other than professional and personal employment services, through the Department of Administrative Services shall not be mandatory in the following cases: (1) Technical instruments and supplies and technical books and other printed matter on technical subjects; also manuscripts, maps, books, pamphlets, and periodicals for the use of any library in the state supported by state funds; also services; (2) Livestock for slaughter and perishable articles such as fresh vegetables, fresh meat, fish and oysters, butter, eggs, poultry, and milk. No other article shall be considered perishable within the meaning of this paragraph unless so classified by the Department of Administrative Services; and (3) Emergency supplies of drugs, chemicals and sundries, dental supplies, and equipment. (b) In the purchasing of emergency supplies under paragraph (3) of subsection (a) of this Code section, it shall be the duty of the department making such purchases to report the same to the Department of Administrative Services, giving the circumstances necessitating the purchases. (c) Nothing in this part shall be construed to give the Department of Administrative Services any supervision over the selection or purchase of school textbooks, which is vested by law in the Department of Education. History. Ga. L. 1937, p. 503, § 8; Ga. L. 1939, p. 160, § 4; Ga. L. 1970, p. 287, § 1; Ga. L. 1979, p. 659, § 6; Ga. L. 1996, p. 885, § 4; Ga. L. 2008, p. 267, § 7/SB 482; Ga. L. 2013, p. 141, § 50/HB 79. Editor’s notes. Ga. L. 1996, p. 885, § 1, not codified by the General Assembly, provides: “This Act shall be known and may be cited as the ‘Purchasing Reform Act of 1996.’” Ga. L. 1996, p. 885, § 2, not codified by the General Assembly, provides: “The General Assembly declares and finds that many of the laws establishing guidelines and requirements for the purchasing of supplies, materials, and equipment by and for state departments and agencies were developed decades earlier and prior to the increase in available sources of supply and the expansion of technology. It is the intent of the General Assembly that these laws be amended to reflect these changes in order to provide greater flex- 524 50-5-58 DEPT. OF ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES ibility for state agencies to make their purchases and to eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy which can result in purchase delays costs.” and increased 50-5-59 administrative