(I) Stores shall be purchased according to definite requirements and should not ordinarily be purc~ascd in very large quantities when not required to be utilized immediately,, or in driblets in order to uvoid taking sanction from higher authorities.
(2) Stores shall ordinarily be purchased from the suppliers at the contract rates to be indicated by the Government from time to time. The Pan.chayat Samiti or the Zila Parishad concerned should approach the suppliers direct indicating specific requirements and giving th e supplier a date by which the articles of stores .shall be supplied but not less than ten days notice shall be given.
(3) (a) When the supplier is unable to supply by the specified date: or
(b) when the stores are very urgently required and it would be more convenient and without much extra·expenses to purchase stores from the open market;
or
(c) when the stores having the same specification are easily available in the open market at rhe rates lower than those of the suppliers and contract rates indicated by the Government, the quotations should be invited and stores should be purchased from the open market, ordinarily from the lowest tenderers.
Reasons for purchase of store from the open market under this rule should be recorded in writing and where the lowest tender/q"uotation is not accepted, full explanation should be given in writing which should be available to audit while auditing the accounts:
Provided that no such explanalion would be necessary when stores being purchased are less than the cost of rupees ten thousand and the purchases are made at the usual market rate.
( 4) (a) articles of stationery may be ?btained form the Controller of Printing and Stationery, Punjab or from open marlcet at the competitive rates subject to the maximum expenditure limit given in the appendix to these rules, by the Panchayat Samiti and the Zila Parishad;
(b) the foims and registers preseribed under Punjab Panchayati RaJ A~1.
Sections 143 aoo t9J Scc1ions 143 and \93 Sect;ons 143 and 193 S..-.:tions 143 and 193 94 PUNJAB GOVT. GAZ. (EXTRA), JANUARY 9, 2014 (PAUSA 19, 1935 SAKA) 1994 aud the Rules made there under or other necessary forms and registers shall be got printed by the Zila Parishad for its own otlice and for the offices of the Panchayat Samiti and the Gram Panchayats under its authority, afler,invitingquotations/tenders. l11e tender/quotation notice shail be published in at least one regional language newspaper having wide circulation in the State and by displaying the tender/quotation notice at conspicuous places in the head quaner town of the Zila Parishad and the Panchayat Samiti and in such other manner as may be considered useful by the Chairrnan Zila Parishad.
Provided that when the purch.ase order is of less than rupees one lac, the Zila Parishad may dispense with the publication of tender/quotation '"'tice in.
the pews paper ?S provided in this sub rule:
Provided further that the expenditure on account ofsta'.i,onary andaccou~!
books etc. should be borne proportionately by the Zila Parishad, the Panchayat Samitis and the Gram Panchayats concerned.
(5) Those articles of stores for which the Government has fixed the price should in no case be purchased at a price higher than that fixed by the Government.
(6) It shall be the duty of the Chainnan, the Pan< hayat Samiti or the Zila Parishad, as the case may be, to have indents prepa -cl.I and scrutinized in the light of the general principles mentdoned in sub-rule (I).