Bill Text: NJ S816 | 2012-2013 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Authorizes educational services commissions to purchase goods or services through nationally-recognized and accepted cooperative purchasing agreement.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-01-10 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee [S816 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2012-S816-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
215th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2012 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator BOB SMITH
District 17 (Middlesex and Somerset)
Senator JOSEPH M. KYRILLOS, JR.
District 13 (Monmouth)
SYNOPSIS
Authorizes educational services commissions to purchase goods or services through nationally-recognized and accepted cooperative purchasing agreement.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel
An Act concerning the purchasing of goods or services by educational services commissions and supplementing N.J.S.18A:18A-1 et seq.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. An educational services commission may elect to purchase goods or services through a contract awarded pursuant to a nationally-recognized and accepted cooperative purchasing agreement that has been developed utilizing a competitive bidding process, in which other states participate, whenever the educational services commission determines this to be the most cost-effective method of procurement. Prior to entering into any contract to be awarded through a nationally-recognized and accepted cooperative purchasing agreement that has been developed utilizing a competitive bidding process, the educational services commission shall review and approve the specifications and proposed terms and conditions of the contract.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill authorizes an educational services commission to purchase goods or services through a contract awarded under a nationally-recognized and accepted cooperative purchasing agreement that has been developed using a competitive bidding process, whenever the educational services commission determines this to be the most cost-effective method of procurement. Prior to entering into any contract, the educational services commission must review and approve the specifications and proposed terms and conditions of the contract. The bill's provisions mirror those of P.L.2005, c.336, approved in January of 2006, which authorized the Director of the Division of Purchase and Property to participate in contracts awarded by such cooperative purchasing groups.
The Middlesex Regional Educational Services Commission is interested in participating in a national non-profit purchasing cooperative. It is a 22 state, 25 million student cooperative that has the potential of saving a significant amount of money for New Jersey school districts. This bill would provide the authority under the "Public School Contracts Law," for educational services commissions to participate in such national cooperative purchasing agreements.
