The Department of Administrative Services shall have the power and authority and it shall be the department's duty, subject to this part:

(1) To canvass all sources of supply and to contract for the lease, rental, purchase, or other acquisition of all supplies, materials, services other than professional and personal employment services, and equipment required by the state government or any of its departments, institutions, or agencies under competitive bidding in the manner and subject to the conditions provided for in this article;

(2) To establish and enforce standard specifications which shall apply to all supplies, materials, and equipment purchased or to be purchased for the use of the state government for any of its departments, institutions, or agencies;

(3) To contract for all telephones, telegraph, electric light power, postal, and any and all other contractual purchases and needs of the state government or any of its departments, institutions, or agencies; or in lieu of such contract to authorize any department, institution, or agency to purchase or contract for any or all such services;

(4) To have general supervision of all storerooms and stores operated by the state government or any of its departments, institutions, or agencies; to provide for transfer or exchange to or between all state departments, institutions, and agencies or to sell all supplies, materials, and equipment which are surplus, obsolete, or unused; and to maintain inventories of all fixed property and of all movable equipment, supplies, and materials belonging to the state government or any of its departments, institutions, or agencies;

(5) To make provision for and to contract for all state printing, including all printing, binding, paper stock, and supplies or materials in connection with the same, except as provided in this part. For the purpose of obtaining bids on printing, it shall have the power to divide the printing into various classes and to provide stipulations and specifications therefor and advertise, receive bids, and contract separately for the various classes;

(6) To procure all fidelity bonds covering state officials and employees required by law or administrative directive to give such bonds; and, in order to provide the bonds at a minimum expense to the state, the bonds may be procured under a master policy or policies providing insurance agreements on a group or blanket coverage basis with or without deductibles or excess coverage over the state's retention as determined by the commissioner. Fidelity bonds covering state officials and employees which are procured pursuant to this paragraph shall expressly provide that all state officials and employees who are required by law to be bonded be named in the fidelity bond as insureds or beneficiaries under the terms of the fidelity bond. Inclusion of any state official, officer, or employee required by law or administrative directive to be specifically bonded in a master fidelity bond under the terms of this part shall satisfy any statutory requirement that the official, officer, or employee be bonded. Fidelity bonds procured pursuant to this paragraph shall also expressly provide for indemnification, out of the proceeds of the fidelity bonds, of all state officials and employees for any liability or expense of any nature resulting from a claim on the state official's or employee's bonds which is due to or as a result of an act of a subordinate of the state official or employee. In order to finance the continuing liability established with other agencies of state government, the commissioner is authorized to retain all moneys paid to the department as premiums on policies of insurance, all moneys received as interest, and all moneys received from other sources to set up and maintain a reserve for the payment of such liability and the expenses necessary to administer properly the insurance program. The commissioner shall invest the moneys in the same manner as other such moneys in his or her possession;

(7) To establish and operate the state agency for surplus property for the purpose of distributing surplus properties made available by the federal government under Pub. L. 152, 81st Congress, as amended, to institutions, organizations, agencies, and others as may be eligible to receive such surplus properties pursuant to applicable provisions of federal law. The commissioner may enter into or authorize the aforesaid state agency for surplus property to enter into cooperative agreements with the federal government for the use of surplus properties by the state agency. The commissioner is authorized to enter into contracts with other state, local, or federal agencies, or with other persons with respect to the construction, operation, maintenance, leasing, or rental of a facility for use by the state agency. Further, the commission may acquire real or personal property for such purposes. All personnel; personal property, including records, office equipment, supplies, contracts, books, papers, documents, maps, appropriations, accounts within and outside the state treasury, funds, and vehicles; and all other similar property under the control of the State Board of Education and used for the direct support and operation of the state agency for surplus property are transferred to the Department of Administrative Services. Each state officer or employee affected under this paragraph shall be entitled to all rights which he or she possessed as a state officer or employee before July 1, 1978, including all rights of rank or grade, rights to vacation, sick pay and leave, rights under any retirement or personnel plan, and any other rights under law or administrative policy. This paragraph is not intended to create any new rights for any state officer or employee but to continue only those rights in effect before July 1, 1978;

(8) To delegate, in the department's discretion, to medical facilities under the jurisdiction of the Board of Regents for the University System of Georgia the ability to purchase medical equipment and medical supplies necessary for medical teaching purposes; and

(9) To enter into agreements with other states and their political subdivisions to effectuate the purposes and policies of this chapter.