§ 18A:18A-5 — Exceptions to requirement for advertising.

18A:18A-5. Exceptions to requirement for advertising. Any contract, the amount of which exceeds the bid threshold, shall be negotiated and awarded by the board of education by resolution at a public meeting without public advertising for bids and bidding therefor if a. The subject matter thereof consists of: (1) Professional services. The board of education shall in each instance state supporting reasons for its action in the resolution awarding each contract and shall forthwith cause to be printed once, in an official newspaper, a brief notice stating the nature, duration, service, and amount of the contract and that the resolution and contract are on file and available for public inspection in the office of the board of education; (2) Extraordinary unspecifiable services which cannot reasonably be described by written specifications. The application of this exception as to extraordinary unspecifiable services shall be construed narrowly in favor of open competitive bidding where possible and the Director of the Division of Local Government Services in the Department of Community Affairs is authorized to establish rules and regulations after consultation with the Commissioner of Education limiting its use in accordance with the intention herein expressed; and the board of education shall in each instance state supporting reasons for its action in the resolution awarding the contract for extraordinary unspecifiable services and shall forthwith cause to be printed, in the manner set forth in paragraph (1) of this subsection, a brief notice of the award of such contract; (3) The doing of any work by employees of the board of education; (4) The printing of all legal notices and legal briefs, records, and appendices to be used in any legal proceeding in which the board of education may be a party; (5) Library and educational goods and services; (6) Food supplies, including food supplies for home economics classes, when purchased pursuant to rules and regulations of the State board and in accordance with the provisions of N.J.S.18A:18A-6; (7) The supplying of any product or the rendering of any service by a public utility, which is subject to the jurisdiction of the Board of Public Utilities, in accordance with the tariffs and schedules of charges made, charged and exacted, filed with said board; (8) The printing of bonds and documents necessary to the issuance and sale thereof by a board of education; (9) Equipment repair service if in the nature of an extraordinary unspecifiable service and necessary parts furnished in connection with such services, which exception shall be in accordance with the requirements for extraordinary unspecifiable services; (10) Insurance, including the purchase of insurance coverage and consultant services, which exception shall be in accordance with the requirements for extraordinary unspecifiable services; (11) Publishing of legal notices in newspapers as required by law; (12) The acquisition of artifacts or other items of unique intrinsic, artistic or historic character; (13) Those goods and services necessary or required to prepare and conduct an election; (14) (Deleted by amendment, P.L.1999, c.440.) (15) (Deleted by amendment, P.L.1999, c.270). (16) (Deleted by amendment, P.L.1999, c.440.) (17) The doing of any work by persons with disabilities employed by a sheltered workshop; (18) Expenses for travel and conferences; (19) The provision or performance of goods or services for the support or maintenance of proprietary computer hardware and software, except that this provision shall not be utilized to acquire or upgrade non-proprietary hardware or acquire or update non-proprietary software; (20) Purchases of goods and services at rates set by the Universal Service Fund administered by the Federal Communications Commission; (21) Goods and services paid with funds that: are raised by or collected from students to support the purchase of student-oriented items or materials, such as yearbooks, class rings, and a class gift; and are deposited in school or student activity accounts; and require no budget appropriation from the board of education; (22) Food services provided by food service management companies pursuant to procedures established by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Child Nutrition Programs; (23) Vending machines providing food or drink; or (24) Preschool education services provided by a licensed childcare provider or Head Start program and supported by preschool education aid pursuant to section 12 of P.L.2007, c.260 (C.18A:7F-54). b. It is to be made or entered into with the United States of America, the State of New Jersey, county, or municipality or any board, body, officer, agency, authority, or board of education or any other state or subdivision thereof. c. Bids have been advertised pursuant to N.J.S.18A:18A-4 on two occasions and (1) no bids have been received on both occasions in response to the advertisement, or (2) the board of education has rejected such bids on two occasions because it has determined that they are not reasonable as to price, on the basis of cost estimates prepared for or by the board of education prior to the advertising therefor, or have not been independently arrived at in open competition, or (3) on one occasion no bids were received pursuant to (1) and on one occasion all bids were rejected pursuant to (2), in whatever sequence; any such contract may then be negotiated and may be awarded upon adoption of a resolution by a two-thirds affirmative vote of the authorized membership of the board of education authorizing such a contract, provided, however, that: (a) A reasonable effort is first made by the board of education to determine that the same or equivalent goods or services, at a cost which is lower than the negotiated price, are not available from an agency or authority of the United States, the State of New Jersey or of the county in which the board of education is located, or any municipality in close proximity to the board of education; (b) The terms, conditions, restrictions, and specifications set forth in the negotiated contract are not substantially different from those which were the subject of competitive bidding pursuant to N.J.S.18A:18A-4; and (c) Any minor amendment or modification of any of the terms, conditions, restrictions, and specifications which were the subject of competitive bidding pursuant to N.J.S.18A:18A-4 shall be stated in the resolution awarding the contract, provided further, however, that if on the second occasion the bids received are rejected as unreasonable as to price, the board of education shall notify each responsible bidder submitting bids on the second occasion of its intention to negotiate and afford each bidder a reasonable opportunity to negotiate, but the board of education shall not award such contract unless the negotiated price is lower than the lowest rejected bid price submitted on the second occasion by a responsible bidder, is the lowest negotiated price offered by any responsible vendor, and is a reasonable price for such goods or services. d. Whenever a board of education shall determine that a bid was not arrived at independently in open competition pursuant to paragraph (2) of subsection c. of this section, it shall thereupon notify the county prosecutor of the county in which the board of education is located and the Attorney General of the facts upon which its determination is based and when appropriate, it may institute appropriate proceedings in any State or federal court of competent jurisdiction for a violation of any State or federal antitrust law or laws relating to the unlawful restraint of trade. e. The board of education has solicited and received at least three quotations on materials, supplies, or equipment for which a State contract has been issued pursuant to N.J.S.18A:18A-10, and the lowest responsible quotation is at least 10 percent less than the price the board would be charged for the identical materials, supplies, or equipment, in the same quantities, under the State contract. Any such contract or agreement entered into pursuant to subsection d. or subsection e. may be made, negotiated, or awarded only upon adoption of a resolution by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the full membership of the board of education at a meeting thereof authorizing such a contract or agreement. The purchase order relating to any such contract shall include a notation that the material, supplies, or equipment was purchased at least 10% below the State contract price. The board of education shall make available to the Director of the Division of Local Government Services in the Department of Community Affairs, upon request, any documents relating to the solicitation and award of the contract, including, but not limited to, quotations, requests for quotations, and resolutions. amended 1982, c.161, s.5; 1983, c.48; 1983, c.281, s.2; 1984, c.49, s.2; 1985, c.527, s.1;1995, c.265; 1999, c.270, s.1; 1999, c.440, s.53; 2007, c.42, s.2; 2025, c.101, s.1.