From and after the first Monday of January 1989, the supervisors of each county in the state shall establish a central purchase system. The central purchase system shall be administered by a county department of purchasing headed by a purchase clerk who, unless the chancery clerk is appointed by the board of supervisors as purchase clerk as hereinafter authorized, shall be appointed by the county administrator, with the approval of the board of supervisors, in any county required to operate under a countywide system of road administration, or who shall be appointed by the board of supervisors in any other county. The purchase clerk shall not be a member of the board of supervisors. The purchase clerk shall be the director of the department of purchasing. No person shall serve as the purchase clerk who, within one (1) year after his appointment, does not receive certification from the State Auditor as having successfully completed the professional education program offered for purchase clerks pursuant to Section 19-3-77.

The department of purchasing shall purchase all equipment, heavy equipment, machinery, supplies, commodities, materials and services used by any office or department of the county except for those offices or departments whose expenditures are not required by law to be approved by the board of supervisors. The purchase clerk may, subject to the approval of the entity which appointed him, hire personnel necessary to operate the department of purchasing efficiently. Unless the chancery clerk is appointed by the board of supervisors as receiving clerk as hereinafter authorized, the county administrator, with the approval of the board of supervisors, in any county required to operate under the countywide system of road administration, or the board of supervisors in any other county, shall appoint a receiving clerk, who shall not be a member of the board of supervisors. Assistant receiving clerks, when necessary, may be appointed by the receiving clerk subject to the approval of the entity which appointed him. No person shall serve as the receiving clerk who, within one (1) year after his appointment, does not receive certification from the State Auditor as having successfully completed the professional education program offered for receiving clerks pursuant to Section 19-3-77. The receiving clerk and his assistants shall be solely responsible for accepting the delivery of all equipment, heavy equipment, machinery, supplies, commodities, materials and services purchased by the county.

The purchase clerk shall disapprove any purchase requisitions which, in his opinion, are not in compliance with the purchasing laws of the state.

The board of supervisors may designate the chancery clerk, with his consent, to serve as the purchase clerk or assistant purchase clerk or as the receiving clerk or assistant receiving clerk; however a chancery clerk designated as purchase clerk or assistant purchase clerk may not also serve as receiving clerk or assistant receiving clerk, and a chancery clerk designated as receiving clerk or assistant receiving clerk may not serve as purchase clerk or assistant purchase clerk. Neither the purchase clerk nor any assistant purchase clerks shall serve as the receiving clerk or as an assistant receiving clerk.

When the chancery clerk serves as county administrator and purchase clerk or assistant purchase clerk, the receiving clerk and any assistant receiving clerks shall be appointed by and serve at the will and pleasure of the board of supervisors.