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<section article="gsf" article_name="State Finance and Procurement" number="14-405" title_number="14" title_name="Preferences" subtitle_number="4" subtitle_name="Miscellaneous Purchasing Preferences">
  <level label="a">
    <level label="1">
      <text>In this section the following words have the meanings indicated.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>“Environmentally preferable product or service” means a product or service that throughout the full life cycle of the product or service:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>is energy efficient, water efficient, biobased, nonozone depleting, made with recycled content, or nontoxic; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>has other attributes recognized as environmentally preferable by the Maryland Green Purchasing Committee.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <level label="1">
      <text>To encourage the maximum purchase of environmentally preferable products and services, the Maryland Green Purchasing Committee established under § 14–410 of this subtitle shall establish environmentally preferable specifications to be adopted by State agencies.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>The environmentally preferable specifications shall be published and maintained online by the Maryland Green Purchasing Committee for use by State agencies.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <text>Each State unit shall review annually the procurement specifications currently used by the unit and, to the extent practicable:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>adopt the environmentally preferable specifications published by the Maryland Green Purchasing Committee; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>revise the unit’s procurement specifications in accordance with § 14–410 of this subtitle.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <text>On or before October 1 of each year, each unit shall report to the Department of General Services on the unit’s procurement of environmentally preferable products and services as a percentage of the unit’s gross purchases during the preceding fiscal year, including the types and quantities of products and services procured.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="e">
    <level label="1">
      <text>Except as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection, this section is broadly applicable to all procurements by the State if the quality of the product or service is consistent with the requirements of the bid specifications.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>Only to the extent necessary to prevent the denial of federal money or eliminate the inconsistency with federal law, this section does not apply to a procurement by the State if the procurement officer determines that compliance with this section would:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>cause denial of federal money; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>be inconsistent with the requirements of federal law.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
</section>
