A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to exempt the purchase of supplies, materials, and equipment by the North Carolina zoological park from the purchase and contract requirements of Article 3 of chapter 143 of the General Statutes, and to require the North Carolina Zoological Park Council to establish policies and regulations governing the purchase and contract requirements applicable to the North Carolina Zoological Park.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 143‑56 reads as rewritten:
"§ 143‑56.  Certain purchases excepted from provisions of Article.
(a)	Unless as may otherwise be ordered by the Secretary of Administration, the purchase of supplies, materials and equipment through the Secretary of Administration shall be mandatory in the following cases:
(1)	Published books, manuscripts, maps, pamphlets and periodicals.
(2)	Perishable articles such as fresh vegetables, fresh fish, fresh meat, eggs, and others as may be classified by the Secretary of Administration.
(b)	Purchase through the Secretary of Administration shall not be mandatory for information technology purchased in accordance with Article 3D of Chapter 147 of the General Statutes, for a purchase of supplies, materials or equipment for the General Assembly if the total expenditures is less than the expenditure benchmark established under the provisions of G.S. 143‑53.1, for group purchases made by hospitals through a competitive bidding purchasing program, as defined in G.S. 143‑129, by the University of North Carolina Health Care System pursuant to G.S. 116‑37(h), by the University of North Carolina Hospitals at Chapel Hill pursuant to G.S. 116‑37(a)(4), by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on behalf of the clinical patient care programs of the School of Medicine of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill pursuant to G.S. 116‑37(a)(4), by East Carolina University on behalf of the Medical Faculty Practice Plan pursuant to  G.S. 116‑40.6(c), or by the North Carolina Zoological Park pursuant to G.S. 143B‑335.
(c)	All purchases of the above articles made directly by the departments, institutions and agencies of the State government shall, whenever possible, be based on competitive bids. Whenever an order is placed or contract awarded for such articles by any of the departments, institutions and agencies of the State government, a copy of such order or contract shall be forwarded to the Secretary of Administration and a record of the competitive bids upon which it was based shall be retained for inspection and review."
SECTION 2.  G.S. 143B‑335 is amended by adding a new subdivision to read:
"(8)	Notwithstanding the provisions of Articles 3, 3A, and 3C of Chapter 143 of the General Statutes, to establish, with the approval of the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources, policies and regulations that govern the purchase and contract requirements of the North Carolina Zoological Park. These policies and regulations shall provide for requests for proposals, competitive bidding, or purchasing by means other than competitive bidding, contract negotiations, and contract awards for purchasing supplies, materials, equipment, and services that are necessary and appropriate to fulfill the mission of the North Carolina Zoological Park. The Council shall submit all policies and regulations and changes to policies and regulations adopted pursuant to this subdivision to the Division of Purchase and Contract of the Department of Administration for review and comment. Any comments by the Division of Purchase and Contract shall be submitted to the Chairman of the Council and to the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources."
SECTION 3.  Section 1 of this act becomes effective 1 January 2008. The remainder of this act is effective when it becomes law.