Procurement Statutes

PURCHASING NOTICE

• When applicable, all “N.J. Right to know” information and labels must be included with the goods and materials.  If not, this must be stated in writing with the packing slip
• The Township of Robbinsville does not pay for late fees or interest charges.
• The Township of Robbinsville is tax exempt from Federal and State Taxes under the provisions of the NJ Sales and Use Tax Act (Chapter 30, P.L. 1996)

NJ BUSINESS REGISTRATION CERTIFICATE

Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 52:32-44, the Township of Robbinsville (“Contracting Agency”) is prohibited from entering into a contract with an entity unless the bidder/proposer/contractor, and each subcontractor that is required by law to be named in a bid/proposal/contract has a valid Business Registration Certificate on file with the Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services within the Department of Treasury.

Prior to contract award or authorization, the contractor shall provide the Contracting Agency with its proof of business registration and that of any named subcontractor(s).

Subcontractors named in a bid or other proposal shall provide proof of business registration to the bidder, who in turn, shall provide it to the Contracting Agency prior to the time a contract, purchase order, or other contracting document is awarded or authorized.

During the course of contract performance:

1. The contractor shall not enter into a contract with a subcontractor unless the subcontractor first provides the contractor with a valid proof of business registration.
2. The contractor shall maintain and submit to the Contracting Agency a list of subcontractors and their addresses that may be updated from time to time.
3. The contractor and any subcontractor providing goods or performing services under the contract, and each of the affiliates, shall collect and remit to the Director of the Division of Taxation in the Department of the Treasury, the use tax due pursuant to the Sales and Use Tax Act, (N.J.S.A. 54:32B-1 et seq.) on all sales of tangible personal property delivered into the State. Any questions in this regard can be directed to the Division of Taxation at (609) 292-6400. Form NJ- REG can be filed online at http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/revenue/busregcert.shtml

Before final payment is made under the contract, the contractor shall submit to the Contracting Agency a complete and accurate list of all subcontractors used and their addresses.

Pursuant to N.J.S.A. 54:49-4.1, a business organization that fails to provide a copy of a business registration as required, or that provides false business registration information, shall be liable for a penalty of $25 for each day of violation, not to exceed $50,000, for each proof of business registration not properly provided under a contract with a contracting agency.

EMERGENCY PURCHASES OR CONTRACTS

For purchases of an emergent nature, the contractor shall provide its Business Registration Certificate within two weeks from the date of purchase or execution of the contract to prior to payment for goods or services, whichever is earlier.

 EXHIBIT A
MANDATORY EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY LANGUAGE
N.J.S.A. 10:5-31 et seq. (P.L. 1975, C. 127)
N.J.A.C. 17:27
GOODS, PROFESSIONAL SERVICE AND GENERAL SERVICE CONTRACTS

During the performance of this contract, the contractor agrees as follows:

The contractor or subcontractor, where applicable, will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of age, race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, marital status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, nationality or sex. Except with respect to affectional or sexual orientation and gender identity or expression, the contractor will take affirmative action to ensure that such applicants are recruited and employed, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their age, race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, marital status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, nationality or sex.  Such action shall include, but not be limited to the following: employment, upgrading, demotion, or transfer; recruitment or recruitment advertising; layoff or termination; rates of pay or other forms of compensation; and selection for training, including apprenticeship.  The contractor agrees to post in conspicuous places, available to employees and applicants for employment, notices to be provided by the Public Agency Compliance Officer setting forth provisions of this nondiscrimination clause.

The contractor or subcontractor, where applicable will, in all solicitations or advertisements for employees placed by or on behalf of the contractor, state that all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, marital status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, nationality or sex.

The contractor or subcontractor, where applicable, will send to each labor union or representative or workers with which it has a collective bargaining agreement or other contract or understanding, a notice, to be provided by the agency contracting officer advising the labor union or workers' representative of the contractor's commitments under this act and shall post copies of the notice in conspicuous places available to employees and applicants for employment.

The contractor or subcontractor, where applicable, agrees to comply with any regulations promulgated by the Treasurer pursuant to N.J.S.A. 10:5-31 et seq., as amended and supplemented from time to time and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The contractor or subcontractor agrees to make good faith efforts to employ minority and women workers consistent with the applicable county employment goals established in accordance with N.J.A.C. l7:27‑5.2, or a binding determination of the applicable county employment goals determined by the Division, pursuant to N.J.A.C. 17:27-5.2.

The contractor or subcontractor agrees to inform in writing its appropriate recruitment agencies including, but not limited to, employment agencies, placement bureaus, colleges, universities, labor unions, that it does not discriminate on the basis of age, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, marital status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, nationality or sex, and that it will discontinue the use of any recruitment agency which engages in direct or indirect discriminatory practices.

The contractor or subcontractor agrees to revise any of its testing procedures, if necessary, to assure that all personnel testing conforms with the principles of job‑related testing, as established by the statutes and court decisions of the State of New Jersey and as established by applicable Federal law and applicable Federal court decisions.

In conforming with the applicable employment goals, the contractor or subcontractor agrees to review all procedures relating to transfer, upgrading, downgrading and layoff to ensure that all such actions are taken without regard to age, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, marital status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, nationality or sex, consistent with the statutes and court decisions of the State of New Jersey, and applicable Federal law and applicable Federal court decisions.

The contractor shall submit to the public agency, after notification of award but prior to execution of a goods and services contract, one of the following three documents:

- Letter of Federal Affirmative Action Plan Approval

- Certificate of Employee Information Report

- Employee Information Report Form AA302 (electronically provided by the Division and distributed to the public agency through the Division’s website at www.state.nj.us/treasury/contract_compliance)

The contractor and its subcontractors shall furnish such reports or other documents to the Division of Purchase & Property, CCAU, EEO Monitoring Program as may be requested by the office from time to time in order to carry out the purposes of these regulations, and public agencies shall furnish such information as may be requested by the Div. of Contract Compliance & EEO for conducting a compliance investigation pursuant to Subchapter 10 of the Administrative Code at N.J.A.C. 17:27.

        (From 1/16 Guidelines from Administering EEO in Public Contracts)

EXHIBIT B
MANDATORY EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY LANGUAGE
N.J.S.A. 10:5-31 et seq. (P.L.1975, c.127)
N.J.A.C. 17:27-1.1 et seq.
CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS

During the performance of this contract, the contractor agrees as follows:

The contractor or subcontractor, where applicable, will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of age, race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, marital status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, nationality or sex. Except with respect to affectional or sexual orientation and gender identity or expression, the contractor will ensure that equal employment opportunity is afforded to such applicants in recruitment and employment, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their age, race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, marital status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, nationality or sex. Such equal employment opportunity shall include, but not be limited to the following: employment, upgrading, demotion, or transfer; recruitment or recruitment advertising; layoff or termination; rates of pay or other forms of compensation; and selection for training, including apprenticeship. The contractor agrees to post in conspicuous places, available to employees and applicants for employment, notices to be provided by the Public Agency Compliance Officer setting forth provisions of this nondiscrimination clause.

The contractor or subcontractor, where applicable will, in all solicitations or advertisements for employees placed by or on behalf of the contractor, state that all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, marital status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, nationality or sex.

The contractor or subcontractor will send to each labor union, with which it has a collective bargaining agreement, a notice, to be provided by the agency contracting officer, advising the labor union or workers' representative of the contractor's commitments under this act and shall post copies of the notice in conspicuous places available to employees and applicants for employment.

The contractor or subcontractor, where applicable, agrees to comply with any regulations promulgated by the Treasurer, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 10:5-31 et seq., as amended and supplemented from time to time and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

When hiring or scheduling workers in each construction trade, the contractor or subcontractor agrees to make good faith efforts to employ minority and women workers in each construction trade consistent with the targeted employment goal prescribed by N.J.A.C. l7:27-7.2; provided, however, that the Dept. of LWD, Construction EEO Monitoring Program, may, in its discretion, exempt a contractor or subcontractor from compliance with the good faith procedures prescribed by the following provisions, A, B, and C, as long as the Dept. of LWD, Construction EEO Monitoring Program is satisfied that the contractor or subcontractor is employing workers 15 EXHIBIT B (Cont) provided by a union which provides evidence, in accordance with standards prescribed by the Dept. of LWD, Construction EEO Monitoring Program, that its percentage of active “card carrying” members who are minority and women workers is equal to or greater than the targeted employment goal established in accordance with N.J.A.C. 17:27-7.2. The contractor or subcontractor agrees that a good faith effort shall include compliance with the following procedures:

(A) If the contractor or subcontractor has a referral agreement or arrangement with a union for a construction trade, the contractor or subcontractor shall, within three business days of the contract award, seek assurances from the union that it will cooperate with the contractor or subcontractor as it fulfills its affirmative action obligations under this contract and in accordance with the rules promulgated by the Treasurer pursuant to N.J.S.A. 10:5-31 et. seq., as supplemented and amended from time to time and the Americans with Disabilities Act. If the contractor or subcontractor is unable to obtain said assurances from the construction trade union at least five business days prior to the commencement of construction work, the contractor or subcontractor agrees to afford equal employment opportunities minority and women workers directly, consistent with this chapter. If the contractor's or subcontractor's prior experience with a construction trade union, regardless of whether the union has provided said assurances, indicates a significant possibility that the trade union will not refer sufficient minority and women workers consistent with affording equal employment opportunities as specified in this chapter, the contractor or subcontractor agrees to be prepared to provide such opportunities to minority and women workers directly, consistent with this chapter, by complying with the hiring or scheduling procedures prescribed under (B) below; and the contractor or subcontractor further agrees to take said action immediately if it determines that the union is not referring minority and women workers consistent with the equal employment opportunity goals set forth in this chapter.

(B) If good faith efforts to meet targeted employment goals have not or cannot be met for each construction trade by adhering to the procedures of (A) above, or if the contractor does not have a referral agreement or arrangement with a union for a construction trade, the contractor or subcontractor agrees to take the following actions:

(l) To notify the public agency compliance officer, the Dept. of LWD, Construction EEO Monitoring Program, and minority and women referral organizations listed by the Division pursuant to N.J.A.C. 17:27-5.3, of its workforce needs, and request referral of minority and women workers;

(2) To notify any minority and women workers who have been listed with it as awaiting available vacancies;

(3) Prior to commencement of work, to request that the local construction trade union refer minority and women workers to fill job openings, provided the contractor or subcontractor has a referral agreement or arrangement with a union for the construction trade;

 (4) To leave standing requests for additional referral to minority and women workers with the local construction trade union, provided the contractor or subcontractor has a referral agreement or arrangement with a union for the construction trade, the State Training and Employment Service and other approved referral sources in the area;

(5) If it is necessary to lay off some of the workers in a given trade on the construction site, layoffs shall be conducted in compliance with the equal employment opportunity and nondiscrimination standards set forth in this regulation, as well as with applicable Federal and State court decisions;

(6) To adhere to the following procedure when minority and women workers apply or are referred to the contractor or subcontractor:

(i) The contactor or subcontractor shall interview the referred minority or women worker.

(ii) If said individuals have never previously received any document or certification signifying a level of qualification lower than that required in order to perform the work of the construction trade, the contractor or subcontractor shall in good faith determine the qualifications of such individuals. The contractor or subcontractor shall hire or schedule those individuals who satisfy appropriate qualification standards in conformity with the equal employment opportunity and non-discrimination principles set forth in this chapter. However, a contractor or subcontractor shall determine that the individual at least possesses the requisite skills, and experience recognized by a union, apprentice program or a referral agency, provided the referral agency is acceptable to the Dept. of LWD, Construction EEO Monitoring Program. If necessary, the contractor or subcontractor shall hire or schedule minority and women workers who qualify as trainees pursuant to these rules. All of the requirements, however, are limited by the provisions of (C) below.

(iii) The name of any interested women or minority individual shall be maintained on a waiting list, and shall be considered for employment as described in (i) above, whenever vacancies occur. At

the request of the Dept. of LWD, Construction EEO Monitoring Program, the contractor or subcontractor shall provide evidence of its good faith efforts to employ women and minorities from the list to fill vacancies.

(iv) If, for any reason, said contractor or subcontractor determines that a minority individual or a woman is not qualified or if the individual qualifies as an advanced trainee or apprentice, the contractor or subcontractor shall inform the individual in writing of the reasons for the determination, maintain a copy of the determination in its files, and send a copy to the public agency compliance officer and to the Dept. of LWD, Construction EEO Monitoring Program.

(7) To keep a complete and accurate record of all requests made for the referral of workers in any trade covered by the contract, on forms made available by the Dept. of LWD, Construction EEO Monitoring Program and submitted promptly to the Dept. of LWD, Construction EEO Monitoring Program upon request.17 EXHIBIT B (Cont) (C) The contractor or subcontractor agrees that nothing contained in (B) above shall preclude the contractor or subcontractor from complying with the union hiring hall or apprenticeship policies in any applicable collective bargaining agreement or union hiring hall arrangement, and, where required by custom or agreement, it shall send journeymen and trainees to the union for referral, or to the apprenticeship program for admission, pursuant to such agreement or arrangement. However, where the practices of a union or apprenticeship program will result in the exclusion of minorities and women or the failure to refer minorities and women consistent with the targeted county employment goal, the contractor or subcontractor shall consider for employment persons referred pursuant to (B) above without regard to such agreement or arrangement; provided further, however, that the contractor or subcontractor shall not be required to employ women and minority advanced trainees and trainees in numbers which result in the employment of advanced trainees and trainees as a percentage of the total workforce for the construction trade, which percentage significantly exceeds the apprentice to journey worker ratio specified in the applicable collective bargaining agreement, or in the absence of a collective bargaining agreement, exceeds the ratio established by practice in the area for said construction trade. Also, the contractor or subcontractor agrees that, in implementing the procedures of (B) above, it shall, where applicable, employ minority and women workers residing within the geographical jurisdiction of the union.
After notification of award, but prior to signing a construction contract, the contractor shall submit to the public agency compliance officer and the Dept. of LWD, Construction EEO Monitoring Program an initial project workforce report (Form AA-201) electronically provided to the public agency by the Dept. of LWD, Construction EEO Monitoring Program, through its website, for distribution to and completion by the contractor, in accordance with N.J.A.C. 17:27-7. The contractor also agrees to submit a copy of the Monthly Project Workforce Report once a month thereafter for the duration of this contract to the Dept. of LWD, Construction EEO Monitoring Program, and to the public agency compliance officer. The contractor agrees to cooperate with the public agency in the payment of budgeted funds, as is necessary, for on-the-job and/or off-thejob programs for outreach and training of minorities and women. (D) The contractor and its subcontractors shall furnish such reports or other documents to the Dept. of LWD, Construction EEO Monitoring Program as may be requested by the Dept. of LWD, Construction EEO Monitoring Program from time to time in order to carry out the purposes of these regulations, and public agencies shall furnish such information as may be requested by the Dept. of LWD, Construction EEO Monitoring Program for conducting a compliance investigation pursuant to N.J.A.C. 17:27-1.1 et seq.

PUBLIC WORKS CONTRACTOR REGISTRATION ACT (PWCRA)

The Public Works Contractor Registration Act (PWCRA) requires that all contractors, including named subcontractors, to register with the Department of Labor prior to submitting price proposals or engaging on certain public works contracts that exceed the prevailing wage threshold.  The prevailing wage threshold is $11,892 for municipalities and $2,000 for all non-municipal entities, such as boards of education, authorities, fire districts, counties, etc.

Because the PWCRA uses the definition of public works contracts under the prevailing wage law, where the law uses the term “bidding”, contracting units are advised to read that as meaning to “submit” a price proposal.”  Thus, the law applies to the formal bidding process where the contract is awarded to the lowest responsible bidder, and the receipt of informal quotations awarded to the vendor whose proposal is the “most advantageous, price and other factors considered.”

Under the law a contractor is a “person, partnership, association, joint stock company, trust, corporation, or other legal business entity or successor thereof who enters into a contract” which is subject to the provisions of the New Jersey Prevailing Wage Act [N.J.S.A. 34:11-56.25 et seq.].  It applies to contractors based in New Jersey or in another state.

The PWCRA defines “public works projects” as contracts for "public work" as defined in the Prevailing Wage Act [N.J.S.A. 34:11-56.26(5)].  The term means:

• “Construction, reconstruction, demolition, alteration, or repair work, or maintenance work, including painting and decorating, done under contract and paid for in whole or in part out of the funds of a public body, except work performed under a rehabilitation program.
• "Public work" shall also mean construction, reconstruction, demolition, alteration, or repair work, done on any property or premises, whether or not the work is paid for from public funds,…”
• “Maintenance work" means the repair of existing facilities when the size, type or extent of such facilities is not thereby changed or increased.  While “maintenance” includes painting and decorating and is covered under the law, it does not include work such as routine landscape maintenance or janitorial services. 

In order to provide guidance to contracting officials on implementing the law, nine key principles have been identified in the law.  The nine items follow:

1. The law applies to all “public works contracts” that exceed the contracting unit’s prevailing wage threshold, as set by N.J.S.A 34:11-56.26 (a) and (b).
2. The law applies to contracts for which public bidding is required, as well as those for which quotations are received.

1. All named contractors in a bid proposal (including out-of-state contractors) must be registered with the Department of Labor’s Division of Wage and Hour Compliance at the time proposals are received by the public entity.

For clarity, Local Finance Notice 2004-9 dated 4/28/04 uses the following term:  “Received,” in context of when “proposals are received,” means the deadline or moment in time when proposals are formally opened and no other proposals are accepted.

4. The law requires contractors to submit certificates after a bid proposal is received and prior to awarding the contract.  (N.J.S.A. 34:11-56.55)

5. After bid proposals are received, and prior to contract award, the contractor most likely to receive the contract award must submit to the public entity copies of certifications of all listed sub-contractors. 
6. The contracting agent must review the certificates to be sure they were in effect at the time the bid proposals were received. 
7. Non-listed subcontractors do not have to be registered until they physically start the public work assigned to them.
8. Bid proposal documents need to inform those submitting proposals of these requirements.
9. Emergency work is covered under the provisions of the Prevailing Wage Act and the PWCRA.

It is specifically recommended that language be included in specifications especially those sections regarding “Instructions to Bidders” advising potential bidders that:

1. All named sub-contractors must be registered with the Department of Labor pursuant to the PWCRA at the time the proposal is received, or the proposal will be determined to be non-responsive.

      2.  Any non-listed sub-contractor must be registered with the Department of Labor prior to physically starting work.

A contractor’s certification can be confirmed by contacting the Department of Labor’s Division of Wage and Hour Compliance website (www.nj.gov/labor/lsse/lspubcon.html).  This site only shows approved contractors; there is no “pending” approval or a “grace” period.  If a contracting unit encounters a problem in its review of certifications, or difficulty in making an award because of a non-registered contractor, they should contact the Contractor Registration Unit as soon as possible.

N.J.S.A. 34:11-56.56 provides several methods for the Department of Labor to enforce the law.  The Department can deny renewal, revoke or suspend the registration of a contractor for a period of not more than five years, or, as a condition of initial or continued registration, require a surety bond payable to the State of New Jersey.

Additional information on the PWCRA can be obtained from the:

Contractor Registration Unit
Division of Wage and Hour Compliance
New Jersey Department of Labor
PO Box 389
Trenton, New Jersey
08625-0389

Telephone:  609-292-9464
Fax:  609-633-8591
E-mail: contreg@dol.state.nj.us
Website: www.nj.gov/labor/lsse/lspubcon.html

The web site has links to the PWCRA Registration Form, Listing of Contractors, Prevailing Wages and other useful information. 
Contact the Division of Local Government Services at (609) 292-7842, by fax at (609) 633-6243 or by e-mail at lpcl@dca.state.nj.us for assistance in the application of the Local Public Contracts Law or related PWCRA issues.  As specific situations are presented to the contracting unit, local legal advisors should review this guidance as to its applicability.

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