Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Procurement Higher Ed topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Panel moves bill to allow NJ Edge to act as lead contracting unit for member institutions
Summary
A4372, a bill to amend law governing educational research and services corporations, was moved by the committee. Proponents said it would let NJ Edge contract directly with higher-education members for technology and related services and close a statutory gap that prevents some member contracts without bidding exemptions.
The committee moved A4372, which would amend statutes governing Educational Research and Service Corporations to permit entities such as NJ Edge to act as a lead contracting unit for procurement of educational technology systems and related services and to exempt certain contracts from public bidding requirements.
Bruce Terrell, associate vice president for programs and services at NJ Edge, told the committee the amendment fills a gap that currently prevents an educational research and services corporation from contracting directly with state-level higher-education members. The change would allow NJ Edge to provide technology consulting, staffing and related services directly to members such as the New Jersey Institute of Technology, he said.
Christine Shipley and Maeve Cannon of Stevens & Lee, who offered procurement expertise, described the bill as a clarifying fix to permit broader cooperative purchasing and shared services for higher-education institutions. Committee members recorded a roll-call vote moving the bill.
Next steps: bill moved by committee; if enacted it would change procurement options available to higher-education institutions and the cooperative purchasing environment.
