136-273. Purchase of supplies, material and equipment and building contracts.

(a) All of the provisions of Article 3 of Chapter 143 of the General Statutes relating to the purchase of supplies, material and equipment by the State government are hereby made applicable to the North Carolina State Ports Authority.

(b) All of the provisions of Chapter 143 of the General Statutes relating to public building contracts are hereby made applicable to the North Carolina State Ports Authority for those construction projects which may be funded, in whole or in part, by appropriations from the General Assembly.

(c) Notwithstanding subsections (a) and (b) of this section, if the North Carolina State Ports Authority finds that the delivery of a particular port facility must be expedited for good cause, the Authority shall be exempt from the following statutes, and rules implementing those statutes, to the extent necessary to expedite delivery: G.S. 133-1.1(g), G.S. 143-128(a) through (e), G.S. 143-132, and G.S. 143-135.26. Prior to exercising an exemption authorized under this subsection, the North Carolina State Ports Authority, through its Executive Director, shall give notice in writing of the Authority's intent to exercise the exemption to the Secretary of Administration. The notice shall contain, at a minimum, the following information: (i) the specific statutory requirement or requirements from which the Authority intends to exercise an exemption; (ii) the reason the exemption is necessary to expedite delivery of a port facility; and (iii) the way the Authority anticipates the exemption will expedite the delivery of a port facility. The Authority shall report quarterly to the Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations on any building contracts exceeding two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) to which an exemption authorized by this subsection is applied.