R.I. Gen. Laws § 37-2-2: General provisions.

(a) This chapter shall be liberally construed and applied to promote its underlying purposes and policies.

(b) The underlying purposes and policies of this chapter are to:

(1) Simplify, clarify, and modernize the law governing purchasing by the state of Rhode Island and its local public agencies;

(2) Permit the continued development of purchasing policies and practices;

(3) Make as consistent as possible the purchasing laws among the various states;

(4) Provide for increased public confidence in the procedures followed in public procurement;

(5) Ensure the fair and equitable treatment of all persons who deal with the procurement system of the state;

(6) Provide increased economy in state and public agency procurement activities by fostering effective competition;

(7) Provide safeguards for the maintenance of a procurement system of quality, integrity and highest ethical standards; and

(8) Ensure that a public agency, acting through its existing internal purchasing function, adheres to the general principles, policies and practices enumerated herein.