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. The bill allows the governing body to authorize a purchasing agent or other designated employee to award contracts below this threshold without the need for public bidding. Additionally, if a contracting unit has a bid threshold set above $22,000, it can delegate the authority to award contracts valued between $22,000 and the established bid threshold to a qualified purchasing agent.

Furthermore, the bill modifies the provisions regarding purchasing agents who do not possess a qualified purchasing agent certificate, allowing them to continue to serve as purchasing agents while setting the bid threshold at the amount authorized under the new section. This change aims to streamline the contracting process for local units and enhance efficiency in awarding contracts. The bill will take effect on the first day of the fourth month following its enactment.

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