MS Code § 25-53-21 (2020)
2020 Mississippi Code|Title 25 - Public Officers and Employees; Public Records|Chapter 53 - Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services (MDITS)|General Provisions|§ 25-53-21. Executive director; duties, responsibilities and authority

 The executive director shall have the following duties, responsibilities and authority:   He shall conduct continuing studies of all information technology activities carried out by all agencies of the state and shall develop a long-range plan for the efficient and economical performance of such activities in state government. Such plan shall be submitted to the authority for its approval and, having been approved by the authority, shall be implemented by the executive director and all state agencies. Such plan shall be continuously reviewed and modifications thereof shall be proposed to the authority by the executive director as developments in information technology techniques and changes in the structure, activities, and functions of state government may require.   He shall review the purchasing practices of all state agencies in the area of the purchasing of supplies for information technology and make recommendations to the authority and to the Public Procurement Review Board for the institution of purchasing procedures which will insure the most economical procurement of such supplies commensurate with the efficient operation of all departments and agencies of state government.   He shall see that all reports required of all agencies are promptly and accurately made in accordance with the rules and regulations adopted by the authority. Either in person or through his authorized agents, he shall make such inspections of information technology operations being conducted by any of the agencies of the state as may be necessary for the performance of his duties.   He shall suggest and cause to be brought about cooperation between the several state agencies in order to provide efficiency in information technology operation. He shall, together with the heads of the agencies involved, reduce to writing and execute cooperative plans for the acquisition and operation of information technology equipment, and any such plan so adopted shall be carried out in accordance with the provisions of such plan unless the same shall be amended by the joint action of the executive director and the heads of agencies involved. The executive director shall report to the authority the details of any plan so adopted and all amendments or modifications thereof, and shall otherwise report to the authority and to the Public Procurement Review Board any failure on the part of any agency to carry out the provisions of such plan. In the event the head of any agency involved or the executive director shall propose amendments to a plan so adopted and such amendment is disapproved by the head of another agency involved or the executive director, an appeal may be taken to the authority which may, after full consideration thereof, order the adoption of the proposed amendment or any modification thereof. The executive director shall make decisions on all questions of the division of the cost of information technology operations among the several agencies, but his findings shall be subject to the approval or modification by the authority on appeal to it.   He shall review all contracts for acquisition of computer equipment or services now or hereafter in force and may require the renegotiation, termination, amendment or execution of any such contracts in proper form and in accordance with the policies and rules and regulations and subject to the direction of the authority. In the negotiation and execution of such contracts, the executive director may negotiate a limitation on the liability to the state of prospective contractors provided such limitation affords the state reasonable protection.   He shall act as the purchasing and contracting agent for the State of Mississippi in the negotiation and execution of all contracts for the acquisition of computer equipment or services. He shall receive, review, and promptly approve or disapprove all requests of agencies of the state for the acquisition of computer equipment or services, which are submitted in accordance with rules and regulations of the authority. In the event that any such request is disapproved, he shall immediately notify the requesting agency and the members of the authority in writing of such disapproval, stating his reasons therefor. The disapproval of any request by the executive director of the authority may be appealed to the authority or to the Public Procurement Review Board, respectively, in such manner as may be authorized by such reasonable rules and regulations hereby authorized to be adopted by the authority and by the Public Procurement Review Board to govern the same. The executive director shall report the approval of all such requests to the authority in such manner as may be directed by the authority, and shall execute any such contracts only after complying with rules and regulations which may be adopted by the authority in relation thereto. Any contracts for personal or professional services entered into by the executive director shall be exempted from the requirements of Section 25-9-120(3) relating to submission of such contract to the State Personal Service Contract Review Board.   He shall suggest and cause to be brought about cooperation between the several state agencies, departments and institutions in order that work may be done by one agency for another agency, and equipment in one agency may be made available to another agency, and suggest and cause to be brought about such improvements as may be necessary in joint or cooperative information technology operations.   He shall be designated as the "Chief Information Confidentiality Officer" after being duly sworn to the oath of this office by the chairman of the authority and shall be responsible for administering the oath to other qualified officers he may designate.   He shall appoint employees of the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services, or at his discretion, employees of other state agencies and institutions that are responsible for handling or processing data for any agency or institution other than that for which they are employed, to a position of information custodial care that shall be known as "Information Confidentiality Officer." The selection and swearing of all officers shall be reported to the authority at the next regular meeting and names, affirmation dates and employment dates shall be recorded in the permanent minutes of the authority.