Bill

Bill > S275


NJ S275

NJ S275
Requires cost analysis in certain cases when State department contracts out work.


summary

Introduced
01/13/2026
In Committee
01/13/2026
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead

Introduced Session

2026-2027 Regular Session

Bill Summary

This bill provides that prior to entering into any contract or agreement in excess of $100,000 with a private business entity for the performance of work usually performed by employees of a State department, the department must prepare a cost analysis of the work to be performed. The cost analysis is to determine whether it is more cost effective to use employees of the private business entity than to use existing or additional departmental employees to perform the work required. The department is to apply that determination to the contract or agreement in the form of a certification. The cost analysis is to be accompanied by a resource analysis and an analysis of the ability of the State to reassume the contracted service if contracting of the service is not in the public interest. Except as otherwise provided, no contract or agreement that decreases the amount of work assigned to State employees could be entered into unless the cost analysis determines that the contract or agreement will result in a substantial cost savings to the State and that the potential cost savings of contracting of services is not outweighed by the public's interest in having a particular function performed directly by the State. In no instance could a department enter into any contract with a private business entity for work which is being performed by departmental employees if a principal of the contractor, including management employees, has, in the preceding two years, worked for the State department that is entering into the contract in any capacity that affects the work to be performed by the contractor. For a particular type of work that has not previously been performed by the State, the department would be permitted to designate a contract or an agreement as a pilot project for the purpose of determining whether contracting a particular type of work can result in cost savings to the State. The cost analysis is to be filed with the Office of Management and Budget in the Department of the Treasury and is to be available for inspection by the public during regular business hours upon request. At the time the cost analysis is filed with the Office of Management and Budget, a copy of the analysis is to be transmitted by the department to the Senate State Government Committee and the Assembly State and Local Government Committee, or the respective successor committees, and the representatives of bargaining units whose members would be affected by the contract or agreement. A representative of a bargaining unit receiving a copy of the cost analysis would have 20 business days from receipt thereof to file a response in writing to the Office of Management and Budget. The contract or agreement that is the subject of the cost analysis could not be entered into by the department until the expiration of the 20-day period or until the response is filed, whichever occurs first, unless the provisions set forth below, requiring the expiration of a 30-day period before a contract or agreement may be entered into, are applicable. If the resource analysis of the department's finances and personnel concludes that the department cannot perform the work with existing or additional departmental employees because such employees lack the expertise, skill or access to appropriate technology or because the work would be of such an intermittent nature as to be likely to cause regular periods of unemployment for departmental employees, then, even though the cost analysis indicates that it would be more cost effective to use departmental employees, the department could enter into a contract with a private business entity for the performance of the work. However, such a contract could not be entered into until 30 business days after receipt of the copy of the cost analysis by legislatives committees. If during that time the Legislature acted to remove the constraints preventing the use of departmental employees, the contract or agreement could not be entered into.

AI Summary

This bill requires State departments to conduct a detailed cost analysis, which includes labor, benefits, equipment, transfer, administration, and potential unemployment costs, before entering into contracts exceeding $100,000 with private companies for work typically done by state employees. This analysis, along with a resource analysis of the department's finances and personnel and an assessment of the state's ability to resume the service, must determine if contracting is substantially more cost-effective and in the public interest compared to using state employees. The bill prohibits contracts if a principal of the private contractor previously worked for the state department in a relevant capacity within the last two years, but allows for pilot projects for new types of work. The cost analysis must be filed with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and made public, with copies sent to legislative committees and affected employee bargaining units, who have 20 business days to respond to the OMB. Contracts cannot be finalized until this response period ends or a response is received, unless the department lacks the necessary expertise, technology, or faces intermittent work that would cause unemployment for state staff, in which case a 30-day waiting period after legislative committee notification applies, during which the Legislature could intervene.

Committee Categories

Government Affairs

Sponsors (1)

Last Action

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee (on 01/13/2026)

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