This bill amends the Local Public Contracts Law in New Jersey to increase the maximum contract amount for which a local contracting unit can designate an employee to award a contract without public advertising for bids from $17,500 to $22,000. This change allows the governing body to authorize a purchasing agent or other designated employee to award contracts below this new threshold without the need for public bidding. Additionally, if a contracting unit has a bid threshold exceeding $22,000 and has appointed a qualified purchasing agent, it can delegate the authority to award contracts valued between $22,000 and the established bid threshold to that purchasing agent.

Furthermore, the bill modifies the provisions regarding the bid threshold for contracting units that do not have a qualified purchasing agent. It removes the previous stipulation that the bid threshold for such units was set at $17,500 until the individual obtained a qualified purchasing agent certificate. Instead, the new language allows the bid threshold to be set at the amount authorized pursuant to the updated section of the Local Public Contracts Law. This legislation aims to streamline the contracting process for local units and enhance their operational efficiency.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 40A:11-3, 40A:11-9