Section 5A-3-19 - Purchases from federal government and other sources(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this article, the director may, upon the recommendation of a state spending unit, participate in, sponsor, conduct, or administer a cooperative purchasing agreement or consortium for the purchase of commodities or services with agencies of the federal government, agencies of other states, other public bodies or other state agencies, if available and financially advantageous. At the discretion of the director, bids may be solicited to determine whether participation in such a cooperative purchasing agreement or consortium is financially advantageous.(b) The Department of Administration may approve administrative fees, not to exceed the amount of fifty thousand dollars, necessary to participate in a cooperative purchasing agreement. Fees which exceed fifty thousand dollars are subject to the competitive bid requirements of this article.