(a) The department shall commit itself to achieve improved levels of performance, as specified in this section, by focusing its efforts on enhancing the value of the services it delivers.

(b) The department shall commit itself to providing both of the following:

(1) Services that the Legislature or Governor requires state agencies to purchase from the department.

(2) Services that state agencies are not required to purchase from the department, but that the department can provide on a cost-competitive basis.

(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the director or his or her designee, in lieu of the Director of Finance, may approve DGS Form 22 and DGS Form 220, including the extension of time to expend transferred funds, the transfer of funds from one work order to another, and the Return of Funds Document.

(d) Notwithstanding Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 13940) of Part 4, the director or his or her designee may approve “relief from accountability” for debts owed to the department up to five thousand dollars ($5,000) when the department determines it cannot collect the debts or when the cost of collection exceeds the amount of the debt.

(e) Notwithstanding Section 2807 of the Penal Code, the director or his or her designee may procure goods from the private sector even though the goods may be available from the Prison Industry Authority, when in his or her discretion, it is cost beneficial to do so and if the director or his or her designee continues to include the authority in soliciting quotations for goods.

(f) Notwithstanding subdivision (a) of Section 948 and Section 965, the director or his or her designee, in lieu of the Director of Finance, may certify funds for payment of all legal settlements and tort claims for which the department already has sufficient expenditure authority and funds without the need for augmentation.

(g) Notwithstanding Section 965.2, the director or his or her designee, in lieu of the Director of Finance, may certify funds for payment for all legal court settlements for projects funded from the Architecture Revolving Fund, if a sufficient fund balance exists in the work order to pay the claim and the payment does not require a budget augmentation to complete the project.

(h) Notwithstanding Section 14957, the director or his or her designee, in lieu of the Director of Finance, may approve the deposit of checks directly into the Architecture Revolving Fund. The department shall notify the Department of Finance within 30 days of the date that the department makes such a deposit.

(Amended by Stats. 2003, Ch. 757, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2004.)