(a) The central procurement office may, upon request, purchase goods and services for any county, city, municipality, special district, school district, other local governmental unit of the state, or quasi-governmental entity organized under a city, municipality, or county. The purchases shall be made on the same terms and under the same rules and regulations as now provided for the purchase of goods and services by the central procurement office. The cost of any purchase made pursuant to this section shall be borne by the local governmental unit concerned. The central procurement office has the power to promulgate all rules and regulations necessary for the operation of this section, subject to the approval of the procurement commission.

(b) It is the intent of this section that the central procurement office advise local governments of the benefits to be derived from the use of the purchasing procedures authorized herein. Where any local or private act, charter, or general law requires that a local governmental unit purchase by competitive procurement method, the local unit of government may, notwithstanding the local or private act, charter, or general law, purchase, without public advertisement or competitive soliciting, under contracts or price agreements entered into by the central procurement office.

(c) To the extent permitted by federal law or regulations, local governments may make purchases of goods, except motor vehicles other than those manufactured for a special purpose as defined in § 12-3-1208, or services included in federal general service administration contracts or other applicable federal open purchase contracts either directly or through the appropriate state agency; provided, that no purchase under this section shall be made at a price higher than that which is contained in the contract between the general services administration and the vendor affected.

(d)

(1) Except as provided in subdivision (d)(5), when any local or private act, charter, or general law requires that a local governmental unit purchase by competitive soliciting, the local unit of government may, notwithstanding the local or private act, charter, or general law, purchase, without public advertisement or competitive soliciting, any item from local sources if such item is available for purchase under contracts or price agreements entered into by the central procurement office, and such item is available at the same or lower cost from such local sources. This subsection (d) shall apply only in cases where the local governmental entity is not permitted to purchase from an existing contract established by the central procurement office. Any item purchased locally must be of equal or better specifications than the item under the competitive contract.

(2) The legislative body of a county by resolution or a municipality by ordinance may establish and adopt a program to encourage participation in government purchasing programs by minority-owned businesses. Such programs may include set-aside provisions which conform to federal law.

(3) This subsection (d) shall be permissive relative to sellers of motor vehicles.

(4) This subsection (d) shall have no effect unless it is approved by a two-thirds (⅔) vote of the local legislative body and such approval is filed with the comptroller of the treasury.

(5) This subsection (d) does not apply in a county having a metropolitan form of government and a population in excess of five hundred thousand (500,000), or in a county having a population in excess of eight hundred thousand (800,000), according to the 1990 federal census or any subsequent federal census.