State Procurement Office and Administrator

(a) There shall be a state procurement office, placed for administrative purposes only, within the department of accounting and general services, which shall be headed by the administrator of the state procurement office. The administrator shall be the chief procurement officer for those governmental bodies of the executive branch as provided in section 103D-203(a)(9). The administrator shall be a full-time public official. The administrator shall serve a term of four years, and shall be paid a salary not to exceed eighty-seven per cent of the salary of the director of human resources development, without diminution during the administrator's term of office unless by general law applying to all deputies or assistants to department heads. (b) The administrator shall be appointed by the governor from a list of no less than three and no more than five names submitted by the policy board. The appointment of the administrator shall require the advice and consent of the senate. The administrator may only be removed from office by the governor, provided the governor shall give prior notification of such removal to the chairperson of the policy board, the president of the senate, and the speaker of the house of representatives. (c) The administrator shall have: (1) A minimum of five years experience in public procurement within twelve years preceding the date of appointment; and (2) Demonstrated executive and organizational ability. (d) The administrator shall operate independently of the comptroller. The administrator may appoint and dismiss a private secretary without regard to chapters 76 and 89, who shall serve at the administrator's pleasure. The comptroller shall provide support to permit the administrator to satisfy all of the administrator's responsibilities as the chief procurement officer for those governmental bodies of the executive branch of the State for which a chief procurement officer is not otherwise designated. [L Sp 1993, c 8, pt of §2; am L 1995, c 178, §5 and c 211, §7; am L 1997, c 352, §6; am L 2002, c 148, §8; am L 2005, c 226, §4; am L 2025, c 206, §4]