§ 136-c. Contracts for employee training and organizational development services. The director of employee relations is hereby authorized to enter into contracts for use by all state departments and agencies for services to support employee training and organizational development initiatives. Pursuant to procedures developed by the director of employee relations in consultation with the state comptroller, agencies shall be permitted to access such contracts directly in a manner similar to that used for centralized commodity contracts let by the commissioner of general services pursuant to section one hundred sixty-three of the state finance law. Nothing contained herein shall preclude the director of employee relations from adherence to New York state bidding requirements or any other law, rule or regulation governing the purchase of consultant services. Further, nothing contained herein shall restrict or preclude state departments or agencies from procuring such training and organizational development services directly without consideration of contracts let by the director of employee relations.