PURCHASING BUREAU. . 2529

The members of the Bureau shall serve without compensation. They
shall select from among their number a vice-chairman, who shall preside
at their meetings in the absence of the Governor, and a treasurer. Six
members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

1920, ch. 184, sec. 3.

3. From and after January 1st, 1921, every State officer, board,
department, commission and institution, hereinafter called the using au-
thority, shall purchase all materials and supplies, merchandise and articles
of every description, through or with the approval of the Central Pur-
chasing Bureau.

Any State officer or employee who shall violate any of the provisions of
this Article may be removed by the Governor.

It shall be the duty of the Bureau to prescribe rules and regulations under
which estimates of the needs of using authorities shall be submitted, and
requisitions made, and under which contracts for purchases may be made.

The Bureau shall determine and formulate standards of all materials,
supplies, merchandise and articles of every description to be purchased for
the using authorities of the State.

It shall be the duty of the Bureau to contract for or purchase all materials,
supplies, merchandise and articles of every description, except those which
the Bureau may determine are of a strictly perishable character, or which
the Bureau 'may determine it is impracticable for the using authorities to
purchase through or with the approval of the Bureau, or which may be
purchased by using authorities under the authority and with the approval
of the Bureau.

Estimates of the amount and quality of materials, supplies, merchandise
and all other articles needed by the using authorities shall be submitted
at such periods as may be prescribed by the Bureau. When purchases are
made through competitive bidding, the Bureau shall have power to require
the successful bidder to furnish a bond to the State, with good and sufficient
surety, conditioned that he will fully and faithfully perform the terms of
the contract. The penalty of all such bonds shall be determined by the
Bureau.

No contract or purchase made by the Central Purchasing Bureau or
under its authority shall constitute such a contract, purchase or sale as to
subject the party or parties thereto to the penalties provided by Section
534 of Article 27 of the Annotated Code of Maryland.

1920, ch. 184, sec. 4.

4. Invoices of all materials, supplies, merchandise and articles of every
description shall be furnished in triplicate by the contractor or seller at the
time of delivery, two of which shall be transmitted to the using authority
to which the articles are sent, and one, at the same time, to the Bureau.
As soon as the articles have been received and approved by the using
authority, and if he shall find them to correspond with the invoices trans-
mitted him and the sample, if any, by which they were sold, he shall
transmit to the Bureau one of said invoices with a certificate thereon of his