§5A-3-3c. Exemptions from purchasing requirements for contracts entered into as part of recovery from a declared state of emergency.

(a) The provisions of this article do not apply to contracts entered into during a state of emergency declared by the Governor pursuant to §15-5-6 of this code, so long as the contract is directly and solely related to the recovery from the declared state of emergency.

(b) The provisions of this article do not apply to the renewal of a contract entered into during a state of emergency declared pursuant to §15-5-6 of this code, if the contract is directly and solely related to the recovery from the declared state of emergency during which the contract was initially entered. For purposes of this subsection, recovery does not include permanent reconstruction after the initial state of emergency has ended.

(c) The provisions of this article do not apply to the purchase of goods or services from the federal government, or an agency thereof, if the purchase of those goods and services is directly and solely related to the recovery from a state of emergency declared pursuant to §15-5-6 of this code.

(d) At the discretion of the Chief Information Officer, the provisions of this article may not apply to the purchase, procurement, or implementation of information technology in response to a qualified cyber security incident, as defined by §5A-6C-3 of this code: Provided, That the information technology is imminently necessary to protect the state’s infrastructure or data.

(e) To qualify for the exemption contained in this section, the Director of the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management must certify that the contract or purchase is directly and solely related to the recovery from a declared state of emergency and attach a copy of the proclamation issued by the Governor’s office to the certification. Such certifications shall be maintained by the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management until the contracts or purchase agreements have been fully executed.

(f) For purposes of this section, "directly and solely related" means that the goods or services being purchased or contracted for will be used for recovery from the state of emergency only and will not be used for any other purpose.