Bill > S3744

Introduced Session

This bill expands competitive contracting for local contracting units and board of education and permits county colleges to utilize competitive contracting. Under current law, local contracting units and boards of education are permitted to use competitive contracting in lieu of public bidding for specialized goods and services exceeding the bid threshold. This bill expands the list of specialized goods and services for which local contracting units and boards of education can use competitive contracting. Specifically, the bill permits local contracting units to utilize competitive contracting for the provision or performance of goods and services for the purpose of producing Class I or Class II renewable energy. The bill also permits boards of education to utilize competitive contracting for: maintenance, custodial, and groundskeeping services; consulting services; grant writing services; or the provision or performance of goods and services for the purpose of producing Class I renewable energy. Additionally, the bill enables a county college to utilize competitive contracting in lieu of public bidding for the procurement of certain listed specialized goods and services that exceed the bid threshold. The bill authorizes the use of competitive contracting for the following purposes: (1) purchasing or licensing certain proprietary computer software; (2) hiring a for-profit entity or a not-for-profit entity incorporated under current law to operate, manage, or administer recreation or social services facilities or programs and data processing services; (3) obtaining services concerning energy conservation education; (4) procuring certain telecommunications services; (5) obtaining laboratory testing services; (6) procuring maintenance, custodial, and groundskeeping services; (7) contracting for grant writing services; (8) concessions; (9) contracting for specified services to produce Class I renewable energy; (10) procuring any service exempt from the requirements for public advertising under current law, at the discretion of the county college; and (11) operating, managing, or administering other services, with the approval of the Division of Local Government Services in the Department of Community Affairs. The bill stipulates that contracts awarded for these purposes may be awarded for a term not to exceed five years, unless otherwise permitted by law. The bill enumerates the process by which competitive contracting may be utilized by the county colleges, including: the requirements for request for proposals documentation; the manner in which county colleges are to solicit competitive contract proposals; and the methods for awarding competitive contracts. Finally, the bill revises the process by which county colleges may purchase any materials, supplies, goods, services or equipment under a contract entered into on behalf of the State by the Division of Purchase and Property. The bill stipulates that the terms and conditions of the contracts awarded by the Division of Purchase and Property are to be binding. The bill also provides that a county college is not entitled to any bonding or indemnification protections provided to the State unless the vendor agrees to extend the protections to the county college. Under the bill, a county college is permitted to enter into these contracts for a period exceeding 24 consecutive months, up to the length of the contract term.

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Troy Singleton (D)*,  Shirley Turner (D)*, 

Senate Higher Education Hearing (13:00:00 2/10/2025 Committee Room 1, 1st Floor, State House Annex, Trenton, NJ) (on 02/10/2025)

Official Document