Georgia

Plain-language summary

Georgia's cooperative purchasing framework is administered by the Department of Administrative Services (DOAS) through its State Purchasing Division (SPD). The State Purchasing Act (O.C.G.A. §50-5-1 et seq.) gives DOAS authority over state procurement, and §50-5-51(9) — substantively amended in 2020 to substitute "cooperative purchasing" for the older "private nonprofit" language — explicitly authorizes the DOAS Commissioner to enter into or authorize agreements with cooperative purchasing organizations, other states, and their political subdivisions. Separately, §50-5-100 authorizes local political subdivisions to purchase through state contracts on an optional basis. The Georgia Procurement Manual section 1.3.4.4 (Cooperative Purchasing) governs the procedural specifics, including a public advertising requirement before designating a cooperative-approved supplier as an authorized source of supply.

Key requirements

• →Authority to enter cooperative purchasing agreements is held by the DOAS Commissioner under O.C.G.A. §50-5-51(9).
• →Before designating a cooperative-organization-approved supplier as an authorized source of supply, the state entity must publicly advertise as required by the Georgia Procurement Manual section 1.3.4.4.
• →Local political subdivisions may participate in state purchasing through the optional pathway provided by O.C.G.A. §50-5-100.
• →All procurement under the State Purchasing Act must comply with competitive bidding requirements unless specifically exempted by statute or regulation.
• →State entities are governed by the State Purchasing Act (O.C.G.A. §50-5-50 et seq.) unless specifically exempted; the Georgia Procurement Manual is the primary procedural reference.

Construction services

Georgia's State Purchasing Act applies broadly — O.C.G.A. §50-5-1 references DOAS's responsibility for contracts covering "supplies, materials, equipment, services and construction." However, public works construction in Georgia is also subject to additional state and local procurement requirements that vary by entity type (state agencies, local governments, school districts) and project type. Agencies seeking to use cooperative purchasing contracts for construction services in Georgia should verify both the cooperative contract's compliance with §50-5-51(9) and §50-5-100, and that the specific construction procurement complies with any applicable public works law, local charter provisions, and DOAS rules. The 2020 amendment to §50-5-51(9) strengthened the cooperative purchasing authority and is the current operative text.