Section 37-2-2 - General provisions(a) This chapter shall be liberally construed and applied to promote its underlying purposes and policies.(b) The underlying purposes and policies of this chapter are to: (1) Simplify, clarify, and modernize the law governing purchasing by the state of Rhode Island and its local public agencies;(2) Permit the continued development of purchasing policies and practices;(3) Make as consistent as possible the purchasing laws among the various states;(4) Provide for increased public confidence in the procedures followed in public procurement;(5) Insure the fair and equitable treatment of all persons who deal with the procurement system of the state;(6) Provide increased economy in state and public agency procurement activities by fostering effective competition;(7) Provide safeguards for the maintenance of a procurement system of quality, integrity and highest ethical standards; and(8) Ensure that a public agency, acting through its existing internal purchasing function, adheres to the general principles, policies and practices enumerated herein.