DEPARTMENT OF GENERAL SERVICES

Earl F. Seboda, Secretary of General Services
Jerome W. Klasmeier, Deputy Secretary
Eric S. Walbeck, Assistant Secretary/or Engineering
Robin J. Zee, Assistant Secretary/or Operations
Frank C. Robey, Assistant Secretary
Allan B. Blumberg, Principal Counsel

301 West Preston Street
Baltimore 21201 Telephone: 225^960
TTY for Deaf: 383-7555

The Department of General Services traces its origins to the formation of the Central Purchasing Bu-
reau in 1920 (Chapter 184, Acts of 1920). Its immediate predecessor agency was the Department of
Public Improvements, established in 1947 (Chapter 171, Acts of 1947). The Department of General
Services was created in 1970 (Chapter 97, Acts of 1970). The Department combined the functions of
several state agencies, including the Central Purchasing Bureau, the Board of Architectural Review, the
Superintendent of Public Buildings and Grounds, the Department of Public Improvements, and the Bu-
reau of Control Surveys and Maps (Code State Finance and Procurement Article, sees. 4-101 through
4-808).

The Department has organized its programs and services under the Deputy Secretary and three As-
sistant Secretaries. The Deputy Secretary has direct responsibility for the Office of Administrative and
Fiscal Services and general oversight of the Special Projects Unit, Asbestos Unit, Personnel Office, and
Affirmative Action/Contract Compliance Units. The Assistant Secretary for Operations oversees the
Office of Real Estate and the Office of Central Services. The Assistant Secretary for Engineering is re-
sponsible for the Office of Engineering and Construction and the Office of Facilities Management. The
Assistant Secretary is responsible for intergovernmental relations and for the Office of Telecommunica-
tions.

THE SECRETARY

The Secretary is chief executive officer of the
Department and is appointed by the Governor
with the advice and consent of the Senate. The
Secretary provides overall leadership for the De-
partment and has total authority and responsibili-
ty for assuring that the Department's programs
and services successfully meet the needs of the
agencies served. The Secretary sets policy,
promulgates rules and regulations, and determines
the strategies necessary to fulfill efficiently and ef-
fectively the Department's mandate. The Secre-
tary is responsible for the budget of the Depart-
ment and for the budgets of the boards,
commissions, and offices that are under the De-
partment's jurisdiction.

Special duties of the Secretary include present-
ing the Department's portion of the Board of Pub-
lic Works agenda at the bi-monthly Board meet-
ings and serving as a member of the Interagency
Committee on School Construction, the Executive
Management Board for the State Multi-Service
Centers, the Hall of Records Commission, the
Maryland Food Center Authority, the State Com-
mission on the Capital City, the State Use Indus-
tries Advisory Committee, the Commission on
Correctional Standards, and the General Profes-
sional Services Selection Board. The Secretary is
also responsible for appointing the seven members
of the Board of Architectural Review, and the five
State members of the War Memorial Commission.

The Secretary is assisted in the administration
of the Department by the Deputy Secretary, three