BALTIMORE CITY. 995

effect as convenient and shall hold office until the first Monday in October,
1927, and until his successor is duly qualified.

The City Purchasing Agent shall be a person with broad and thorough
experience in purchasing, and shall be of known ability as an executive
and in the field of purchasing.

The City Purchasing Agent shall be paid such salary as may be pro-
vided in the Ordinance of Estimates. He shall appoint, from lists fur-
nished by the City Service Commission, such assistants, aides, clerks and
other help as may be necessary for the proper conduct of the Bureau.
The compensation of all such appointees shall be subpect to approval by
the Board of Estimates and shall be paid as provided in the Ordinance of
Estimates.

Materials and supplies of every kind, character and description, includ-
ing stationery and printed matter, needed or used by the several depart-
ments, boards, commissions, officers or other agencies of the municipal
government (hereinafter designated as using authorities) shall, from and
after the passage of this ordinance, be purchased by the General Pur-
chasing Bureau.

In making purchases, the Central Purchasing Bureau shall observe the
provisions of Sections 14 and 15 of the Baltimore City Charter.

It shall be the duty of the Bureau, subject to the approval of the Board
of Awards, to prescribe rules and regulations providing for the times
when and the manner and form in which estimates of the needs of using
authorities shall be submitted, requisitions made and contracts entered
into.

Whenever possible the Bureau shall formulate and make effective,
subject to the approval of the Board of Awards, standards of materials
and supplies used by the using authorities.

It shall be the duty of the Bureau to formulate and make effective plans
under which materials and supplies shall be purchased in quantities suffi-
cient for the needs and uses of all the using authorities. Whenever pos-
sible, estimates for materials and supplies furnished by the using authori-
ties shall be combined, and contracts awarded under competitive bidding.
It shall be the duty of the using authorities, the Comptroller and the City
Purchasing Agent to co-operate to the end that the municipal government
may obtain the advantages offered by cash discounts. Unless otherwise
herein provided, the Comptroller shall not pay any bill or voucher for
any materials or supplies unless the bill or voucher shall be first approved
by the City Purchasing Agent, and also by the General Storekeeper or
the using authority, as may be determined.

Patented articles or any other material, supply or thing costing more
than $500, and for which there can be no competitive bidding, shall be
purchased by the City Purchasing Agent as directed by the using author-
ity, subject to the approval of the Board of Estimates.

Nothing in this ordinance shall be construed to apply to contracts for
construction work of any kind; nor be construed to apply to the purchase
of foodstuffs or other perishables for the Baltimore City Jail, the Balti-