‘Electronic Bidding Construction Act’ Bill Approved by

Assembly Panel

Measure Sponsored by Greenwald, Milam and Land

(TRENTON) – Legislation sponsored by Assembly Majority Leader Lou Greenwald, Assemblyman Matt Milam and Assemblyman Bruce Land to modernize the bidding process for public works construction projects in New Jersey was approved Monday by the Assembly State and Local Government Committee.

The bill (A-1308), known as the Electronic Bidding Construction Act,  would require public contracting agencies that contract for public works construction projects to use electronic procurement technologies, also known as online bidding, when a project’s value exceeds five million dollars.

“In the age of technological innovation, it’s time to update our public bidding process for construction projects,” said Greenwald (D-Camden, Burlington). “Nowadays, there are many e-procurement resources available to help businesses and government agencies conduct business online. These tools make the process simpler and more efficient.”

Under the measure, the State Treasurer would be required to set regulations for the electronic procurement of public works projects The regulations would create a procedure for a public contracting unit to follow once awarded a contract to oversee the administration of the e-procurement process.

A contractor or vendor seeking a contract for public works under the regulations would be classified with the Division of Property Management and Construction in the Department of the Treasury prior to submitting a bid.

“Requests for proposals, requests for information and other bids for public projects can all be done via the Internet,” said Milam (D-Cape May, Atlantic, Cumberland). “We should take advantage of e-procurement tools in order to streamline the public bidding process.”

“E-procurement will help us reduce costs, save time and give us the ability to easily store important records digitally,” said Land (D-Cape May, Atlantic, Cumberland). “This common-sense approach will benefit public contracting and government agencies alike.”

Additionally, regulations established by the State Treasurer would require certain bidding components and would set qualifications for firms providing e-procurement processes.

The bill now heads to the Assembly Speaker for further consideration.