(a) The commissioner shall appoint to the partially exempt service the chief procurement officer of the state. The chief procurement officer must have at least five years of prior experience in public procurement, including large scale procurement of supplies, services, or professional services, and must be a person with demonstrated executive and organizational ability. The chief procurement officer may be removed by the commissioner only for cause. The term of office of the chief procurement officer is six years.

(b) Except as otherwise specifically provided in this chapter, the chief procurement officer shall

(1) procure or supervise the procurement of all supplies, services, and professional services needed by an agency;

(2) exercise general supervision and control over all inventories of supplies belonging to an agency and prescribe the manner in which supplies shall be purchased, delivered, stored, and distributed;

(3) prescribe the time, manner, authentication, and form of making requisitions for supplies and services;

(4) sell, trade, transfer between agencies, or otherwise dispose of surplus, obsolete, or unused supplies and make proper adjustments in the accounts of agencies concerned;

(5) establish and maintain programs for the inspection, testing, and acceptance of supplies and services and the testing of samples submitted with bids;

(6) prescribe standard forms for bids and contracts; and

(7) provide for other matters that may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this chapter and the regulations adopted under this chapter.

(c) While a person performs the duties of the chief procurement officer under this chapter, the person may not be employed in or appointed to another position with the state.

(d) The annual salary of the chief procurement officer is range 25 of the salary schedule established in AS 39.27.011.