(A) Upon the request of either a state agency or the director of budget and management and after the controlling board determines that an emergency or a sufficient economic reason exists, the controlling board may approve the making of a purchase without competitive selection as provided in division (B) of this section.

Ask a legal question, get an answer ASAP!
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

(B) Except as otherwise provided in this section, no state agency, using money that has been appropriated to it directly, shall:

(1) Make any purchase from a particular supplier, that would amount to fifty thousand dollars or more when combined with both the amount of all disbursements to the supplier during the fiscal year for purchases made by the agency and the amount of all outstanding encumbrances for purchases made by the agency from the supplier, unless the purchase is made by competitive selection or with the approval of the controlling board;

(2) Lease real estate from a particular supplier, if the lease would amount to seventy-five thousand dollars or more when combined with both the amount of all disbursements to the supplier during the fiscal year for real estate leases made by the agency and the amount of all outstanding encumbrances for real estate leases made by the agency from the supplier, unless the lease is made by competitive selection or with the approval of the controlling board.

(C) Any person who authorizes a purchase in violation of division (B) of this section shall be liable to the state for any state funds spent on the purchase, and the attorney general shall collect the amount from the person.

(D) Nothing in division (B) of this section shall be construed as:

(1) A limitation upon the authority of the director of transportation as granted in sections 5501.17, 5517.02, and 5525.14 of the Revised Code;

(2) Applying to medicaid provider agreements under the medicaid program;

(3) Applying to the purchase of examinations from a sole supplier by a state licensing board under Title XLVII of the Revised Code;

(4) Applying to entertainment contracts for the Ohio state fair entered into by the Ohio expositions commission, provided that the controlling board has given its approval to the commission to enter into such contracts and has approved a total budget amount for such contracts as agreed upon by commission action, and that the commission causes to be kept itemized records of the amounts of money spent under each contract and annually files those records with the clerk of the house of representatives and the clerk of the senate following the close of the fair;

(5) Limiting the authority of the chief of the division of mineral resources management to contract for reclamation work with an operator mining adjacent land as provided in section 1513.27 of the Revised Code;

(6) Applying to investment transactions and procedures of any state agency, except that the agency shall file with the board the name of any person with whom the agency contracts to make, broker, service, or otherwise manage its investments, as well as the commission, rate, or schedule of charges of such person with respect to any investment transactions to be undertaken on behalf of the agency. The filing shall be in a form and at such times as the board considers appropriate.

(7) Applying to purchases made with money for the per cent for arts program established by section 3379.10 of the Revised Code;

(8) Applying to purchases made by the opportunities for Ohioans with disabilities agency of services, or supplies, that are provided to persons with disabilities, or to purchases made by the agency in connection with the eligibility determinations it makes for applicants of programs administered by the social security administration;

(9) Applying to payments by the department of medicaid under section 5164.85 of the Revised Code for group health plan premiums, deductibles, coinsurance, and other cost-sharing expenses;

(10) Applying to any agency of the legislative branch of the state government;

(11) Applying to agreements or contracts entered into under section 5101.11, 5101.20, 5101.201, 5101.21, or 5101.214 of the Revised Code;

(12) Applying to purchases of services by the adult parole authority under section 2967.14 of the Revised Code or by the department of youth services under section 5139.08 of the Revised Code;

(13) Applying to dues or fees paid for membership in an organization or association;

(14) Applying to purchases of utility services pursuant to section 9.30 of the Revised Code;

(15) Applying to purchases made in accordance with rules adopted by the department of administrative services of motor vehicle, aviation, or watercraft fuel, or emergency repairs of such vehicles;

(16) Applying to purchases of tickets for passenger air transportation;

(17) Applying to purchases necessary to provide public notifications required by law or to provide notifications of job openings;

(18) Applying to the judicial branch of state government;

(19) Applying to purchases of liquor for resale by the division of liquor control;

(20) Applying to purchases of motor courier and freight services made in accordance with department of administrative services rules;

(21) Applying to purchases from the United States postal service and purchases of stamps and postal meter replenishment from vendors at rates established by the United States postal service;

(22) Applying to purchases of books, periodicals, pamphlets, newspapers, maintenance subscriptions, and other published materials;

(23) Applying to purchases from other state agencies, including state-assisted institutions of higher education or the Ohio history connection;

(24) Applying to purchases from a qualified nonprofit agency pursuant to sections 125.60 to 125.6012 or 4115.31 to 4115.35 of the Revised Code;

(25) Applying to payments by the department of job and family services to the United States department of health and human services for printing and mailing notices pertaining to the tax refund offset program of the internal revenue service of the United States department of the treasury;

(26) Applying to contracts entered into by the department of developmental disabilities under section 5123.18 of the Revised Code;

(27) Applying to payments made by the department of mental health and addiction services under a physician recruitment program authorized by section 5119.185 of the Revised Code;

(28) Applying to contracts entered into with persons by the director of commerce for unclaimed funds collection and remittance efforts as provided in division (G) of section 169.03 of the Revised Code. The director shall keep an itemized accounting of unclaimed funds collected by those persons and amounts paid to them for their services.

(29) Applying to purchases made by a state institution of higher education in accordance with the terms of a contract between the vendor and an inter-university purchasing group comprised of purchasing officers of state institutions of higher education;

(30) Applying to the department of medicaid’s purchases of health assistance services under the children’s health insurance program;

(31) Applying to payments by the attorney general from the reparations fund to hospitals and other emergency medical facilities for performing medical examinations to collect physical evidence pursuant to section 2907.28 of the Revised Code;

(32) Applying to contracts with a contracting authority or administrative receiver under division (B) of section 5126.056 of the Revised Code;

(33) Applying to purchases of goods and services by the department of veterans services in accordance with the terms of contracts entered into by the United States department of veterans affairs;

(34) Applying to payments by the superintendent of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation to the federal bureau of investigation for criminal records checks pursuant to section 109.572 of the Revised Code;

(35) Applying to contracts entered into by the department of medicaid under section 5164.47 of the Revised Code;

(36) Applying to contracts entered into under section 5160.12 of the Revised Code;

(37) Applying to payments to the Ohio history connection from other state agencies.

(E) When determining whether a state agency has reached the cumulative purchase thresholds established in divisions (B)(1) and (2) of this section, the following purchases by such agency shall not be considered:

(1) Purchases made through competitive selection or with controlling board approval;

(2) Purchases listed in division (D) of this section;

(3) For the purposes of the threshold of division (B)(1) of this section only, leases of real estate.

(F) A state agency, when exercising direct purchasing authority under this section, shall utilize a selection process that complies with all applicable laws, rules, or regulations of the department of administrative services.

(G) As used in this section, “competitive selection,” “direct purchasing authority,” “purchase,” “supplies,” and “services” have the same meanings as in section 125.01 of the Revised Code.