50-5-51. Power, authority, and duty of department.

The Department of Administrative Services shall have the power and authority and it shall be the department’s duty, subject to this part:

To canvass all sources of supply and to contract for the lease, rental, purchase, or other acquisition of all supplies, materials, equipment, and services other than professional and personal employment services required by the state government or any of its offices, agencies, departments, boards, bureaus, commissions, institutions, or other entities of this state under competitive bidding in the manner and subject to the conditions provided for in this article;#

To establish and enforce standard specifications which shall apply to all supplies, materials, equipment, and services other than professional and personal employment services purchased or to be purchased for the use of the state government for any of its offices, agencies, departments, boards, bureaus, commissions, institutions, or other entities of the state;#

To contract for all electric light power, postal, and any and all other contractual purchases and needs of the state government or any of its offices, agencies, departments, boards, bureaus, commissions, institutions, or other entities of the state or in lieu of such contract to authorize any offices, agencies, departments, boards, bureaus, commissions, institutions, or other entities of the state to purchase or contract for any or all such services;#

To have general supervision of all storerooms and stores operated by the state government or any of its offices, agencies, departments, boards, bureaus, commissions, institutions, or other entities of the state; to provide for transfer or exchange to or between all state offices, agencies, departments, boards, bureaus, commissions, institutions, or other entities of the state or to sell all supplies, materials, and equipment which are surplus, obsolete, or unused; and to maintain inventories of all fixed property and of all movable equipment, supplies, and materials belonging to the state government or any of its offices, agencies, departments, boards, bureaus, commissions, institutions, or other entities of the state;#

To make provision for and to contract for all state printing, including all printing, binding, paper stock, and supplies or materials in connection with the same, except as provided in this part. For the purpose of obtaining bids on printing, it shall have the power to divide the printing into various classes and to provide stipulations and specifications therefor and advertise, receive bids, and contract separately for the various classes;#

To procure all fidelity bonds covering state officials and employees required by law or administrative directive to give such bonds; and, in order to provide the bonds at a minimum expense to the state, the bonds may be procured under a master policy or policies providing insurance agreements on a group or blanket coverage basis with or without deductibles or excess coverage over the state’s retention as determined by the commissioner. Fidelity bonds covering state officials and employees which are procured pursuant to this paragraph shall expressly provide that all state officials and employees who are required by law to be bonded be named in the fidelity bond as insureds or beneficiaries under the terms of the fidelity bond. Inclusion of any state official, officer, or employee required by law or administrative directive to be specifically bonded in a master fidelity bond under the terms of this part shall satisfy any statutory requirement that the official, officer, or employee be bonded. Fidelity bonds procured pursuant to this paragraph shall also expressly provide for indemnification, out of the proceeds of the fidelity bonds, of all state officials and employees for any liability or expense of any nature resulting from a claim on the state official’s or employee’s bonds which is due to or as a result of an act of a subordinate of the state official or employee. In order to finance the continuing liability established with other agencies of state government, the commissioner is authorized to retain all moneys paid to the department as premiums on policies of insurance, all moneys received as interest, and all moneys received from other sources to set up and maintain a reserve for the payment of such liability and the expenses necessary to administer properly the insurance program. The commissioner is further authorized to establish incentive programs including differential premium rates based on participation in loss control programs established by the department, increased or decreased deductibles based on participation in loss control programs established by the department, and the imposition of fines and penalties. If any premiums, deductibles, fines, or penalties are unpaid, the department is authorized to deduct any unpaid amounts from the nonpaying agency’s or authority’s continuation budget subject to the approval of the Office of Planning and Budget and deposit those funds into the reserve fund provided for in this Code section. The commissioner shall invest the moneys in the same manner as other such moneys in his or her possession;#

To establish and operate the state agency for surplus property for the purpose of distributing surplus properties made available by the federal government under Pub. L. 152, 81st Congress, as amended, to institutions, organizations, agencies, and others as may be eligible to receive such surplus properties pursuant to applicable provisions of federal law. The commissioner may enter into or authorize the aforesaid state agency for surplus property to enter into cooperative agreements with the federal government for the use of surplus properties by the state agency. The commissioner is authorized to enter into contracts with other state, local, or federal agencies, or with other persons with respect to the construction, operation, maintenance, leasing, or rental of a facility for use by the state agency. Further, the commissioner may acquire real or personal property for such purposes;#

To delegate, in the department’s discretion, to medical facilities under the jurisdiction of the Board of Regents for the University System of Georgia the ability to purchase medical equipment and medical supplies necessary for medical teaching purposes;#

To enter into or authorize agreements with cooperative purchasing organizations or other states and their political subdivisions to effectuate the purposes and policies of this chapter;#

To collect, retain, and carry over from year to year in a reserve fund any moneys, rebates, or commissions payable to the state that are generated by supply contracts established pursuant to Code Section 50-5-57; and#

To conduct the procurement of all technology resource purchases not exempted from competitive bidding requirements in accordance with the technology standards and specifications established by the Georgia Technology Authority.#