Maine § 1811. - Powers and duties

§ 1811.. Powers and duties

The Department of Administrative and Financial Services, through the Bureau of General Services, has authority:   [PL 1991, c. 780, Pt. Y, §61 (AMD).]

1.  Purchases.  To purchase all services, supplies, materials and equipment required by the State Government or by any department or agency thereof, subject to chapters 141 to 155;

A. The Director of the Bureau of General Services may establish dates by which departments and agencies of State Government must order standard forms that each department or agency requires, and to determine the quantity of each standard form to be printed in order to obtain savings resulting from volume purchasing;   [PL 1991, c. 780, Pt. Y, §62 (AMD).]

2.  Specifications.  To adopt and enforce, subject to chapters 141 to 155, specifications which shall apply to services, supplies, materials and equipment purchased for the use of the State Government or any department or agency thereof;

3.  Postal service. 

4.  Central duplicating service. 

5.  Storerooms. 

6.  Surplus property. 

7.  Central mailing room. 

8.  Cooperative purchasing.  To permit any political subdivision or school administrative district in the State or nonprofit free health care clinic that provides free primary or preventative services to make purchases of foodstuffs, materials, equipment and supplies through the Bureau of General Services, subject to such procedures, rules and regulations as may be prescribed by the director. This subsection applies to a municipality notwithstanding any provision in its municipal charter to the contrary;

9.  Central Motor Pool. 

10.  Equipment to be reviewed.  To choose a designee to conduct a thorough review of all types of equipment, including automobiles, pickups and vans, owned, leased or otherwise available to the departments and agencies of the State, regardless of the source of supporting funds, and to make recommendations via the budgetary process for combining the uses of the equipment, providing centralized facilities or eliminating existing equipment and facilities, as believed to be most economical and efficient for the State. The department may also develop and institute review and control mechanisms considered necessary to ensure that capital equipment purchases authorized by the Legislature are consistent with the intent for which funds were recommended and made available; and

11.  Motor vehicle replacement policy.  To require that requisitions for replacement motor vehicles include the age and total mileage of the motor vehicles being replaced. For the purposes of this subsection, "motor vehicles" means passenger cars and panel and pickup trucks, excluding those vehicles authorized and assigned for pursuit purposes. Under no circumstances are any state vehicles to be used for commuting purposes. It is the intent of the Legislature that motor vehicles be in service for at least 5 years or 75,000 miles, whichever occurs first, before they are replaced. This policy must also be adopted by the State Budget Officer when preparing a budget document. Exceptions to this replacement policy require the prior approval of the Commissioner of Administrative and Financial Services. The Commissioner of Administrative and Financial Services may also set appropriate standards with regard to motor vehicle type, size and equipment and direct that all motor vehicles be purchased in accordance with a commodity calendar established by the Director of the Bureau of General Services.