ASSEMBLY, No. 724

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 1996 SESSION

By Assemblymen R. SMITH and RUSSO

An Act concerning the establishment of an automated bid access and purchasing information system, supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes, and making an appropriation.

    Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

    1. The Legislature finds and declares that:

    a. It is crucial for the State and its political subdivisions to purchase goods and services in the most efficient, effective and economical manner possible.

    b. The state of Oregon has significantly improved the way it procures goods and services by establishing the Vendor Information Program (VIP).

    c. VIP has saved Oregon over $13 million in the program's first year of operation.

    d. In addition to saving money by increasing competition and reducing staff and paperwork, the Oregon program has improved bidding opportunities for minority and small businesses by enhancing equal access to bidding information.

    e. New Jersey should adopt a program similar to the Oregon program.

    2. The State Treasurer shall establish in the Department of the Treasury an automated bid access and purchasing information system, to be known as the Vendor Information Program, to allow vendors to access information related to bidding on contracts awarded by the State and its political subdivisions, including school districts and authorities. The system shall be designed to enable vendors, by means of a personal computer and modem, to access information such as requests for proposals, past bids, current contracts, and any other information which the State Treasurer determines to be related to bidding on a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week basis.

    3. The State Treasurer may contract with the state of Oregon for the purchase and installation of a Vendor Information Program and for the training of staff to implement the program.

    4. The State Treasurer shall promulgate rules and regulations pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), in order to effectuate the purposes of this act.

    5. There is appropriated $400,000 from the General Fund to the Department of the Treasury to effectuate the purposes of this act.

    6. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

    This bill directs the State Treasurer to establish an automated bid access and purchasing information system, to be known as the Vendor Information Program (VIP), to allow vendors to access information related to bidding on contracts awarded by the State and its political subdivisions, including school districts and authorities. The system shall be designed to enable vendors, by means of a personal computer and modem, to access on a 24 hours a day, 7 days a week basis such information as requests for proposals, past bids, current contracts, and any other information which the State Treasurer determines to be related to bidding. The bill allows New Jersey to purchase a VIP system from Oregon, which has implemented such a system in connection with its own procedures for the procurement of goods and services.

    The bill appropriates $400,000 to the Department of the Treasury to effectuate the purposes of this act.

Establishes the Vendor Information Program; appropriates $400,000.