Bill > S795

Introduced Session

This bill alters the requirements pursuant to which the State colleges and universities purchase goods and services and construct buildings in order to align the requirements governing these institutions of higher education with the contracting standards governing public research universities in the State. The bill will allow the State colleges and universities the ability to follow the more flexible requirements of the contracting process which apply to the public research universities. Under current law, the contracting standards for the State colleges and universities are found in the "State College Contracts Law," P.L.1986, c.43 (C.18A:64-52 et seq.). This bill repeals various sections of that law that are inconsistent with the contracting requirements imposed on the public research universities. In order to have the contracting provisions for the State colleges and universities mirror the provisions which apply to the public research universities, the bill amends the section of law setting forth the powers and duties of a board of trustees of a State college or university, to grant the board the general power to adopt standing operating rules and procedures for the purchase of all equipment, materials, supplies, and services. The power to adopt standing operating rules and procedures is limited, however, by the requirement that no contract may be entered into for the purchase of services, materials, equipment and supplies, for the performance of any work, or for the hiring of equipment or vehicles, where the sum to be expended exceeds a specified bid threshold, unless the college or university first publicly advertises for bids and awards the contract to that responsible bidder whose bid, conforming to the invitation for bids, will be most advantageous to the college or university, price and other factors considered. The college or university is permitted to create exceptions to the public advertising requirement, but those exceptions must be in substance those exceptions found currently in the "State College Contracts Law" and sections 4 and 5 of P.L.1954, c.48 (C.52:34-9 and 10).

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Committee Categories

Sandra Cunningham (D)*,  Tom Kean (R)*, 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Higher Education Committee (on 01/14/2020)