Sponsored by:
Senator TROY SINGLETON
District 7 (Burlington)
Senator STEVEN V. OROHO
District 24 (Morris, Sussex and Warren)
Assemblyman DANIEL R. BENSON
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
Assemblywoman VERLINA REYNOLDS-JACKSON
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senator Cruz-Perez, Assemblywoman Lopez, Assemblyman Bergen, Assemblywomen Piperno, Eulner, Assemblymen Wirths and Space
SYNOPSIS
Revises number of qualified disabled veterans’ businesses required to designate set-aside contract from three to two.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning set-aside contracts for disabled veterans and amending P.L.2015, c.116.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 4 of P.L.2015, c.116 (C.52:32-31.4) is amended to read as follows:
4. a. Notwithstanding the provisions of any State bidding or public contracts laws to the contrary, but subject to any supervening federal statutes or rules, contracting agencies, in consultation with the department, may designate a contract, or a portion thereof, for goods, equipment, construction or services to be awarded by a contracting agency as a disabled veterans' business set-aside contract pursuant to the goals and procedures established in this act, whenever there is a reasonable expectation that bids may be obtained from at least [three] two qualified disabled veterans' businesses capable of furnishing the desired goods, equipment, construction or services at a fair and reasonable price. The designation shall be made prior to the advertisement for bids.
b. When application of the goals and procedures established under this act would jeopardize the State's participation in a program from which the State receives federal funds or other benefits, the contracting agency may, in consultation with the department, withdraw the affected contracts from consideration or calculation.
(cf: P.L.2015, c.116, s.4)
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill revises the number of qualified disabled veterans’ businesses required to set aside a contract under the “Set-Aside Act for Disabled Veterans’ Businesses” from three businesses to two businesses.
Designating set-aside contracts for disabled veterans’ businesses is difficult given the relatively low number of registered disabled veterans’ businesses in this State. Neighboring states as well as the federal government use a “rule of two” when designating set-aside contracts for disabled veterans’ businesses. This bill updates New Jersey’s requirements to reduce the number of businesses needed to designate a set-aside contract from three to two.