New Jersey Administrative Code › Title 5 - COMMUNITY AFFAIRS › Chapter 34 - LOCAL PUBLIC AND PUBLIC SCHOOL CONTRACTS LAWS › Subchapter 5 - ELECTRONIC PROCUREMENT › Section 5:34-5.3 - Electronic procurement platforms-local unit procurement of goods and services and public works

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 14, July 15, 2024
(a) An electronic procurement platform used for
				local government procurement shall provide, at a minimum:
1. Detailed online instructions on how to use the
				platform;
2. An online offeror
				registration process that will reliably confirm the identity of the person or entity
				registering, as well as any individuals authorized to sign and submit offers. This
				registration should include full contact information, including a physical address
				and the logging of the IP address used to create the offeror's account;
3. The ability to upload and save onto the
				platform, any completed forms, disclosures, and certifications that, pursuant to New
				Jersey law, must either accompany an offer or must be submitted to the local unit
				prior to contract award, and, prior to submission, prompt offerors when such
				documents have not been incorporated into an offeror's response;
4. The ability for offerors to electronically
				transmit, and local units to receive, all documents and information responsive to,
				and required to be submitted either with, the offer or before the contract
				award;
5. Timestamping and logging of
				all local unit and offeror actions on the platform, including IP address;
6. The ability for prospective offerors to post
				questions, and the local unit to post responses thereto, in a manner visible to all
				prospective offerors. This shall not absolve the local unit from issuing a notice of
				revision or addenda when required pursuant to
				N.J.S.A.
				18A:18A-21 and
				40A:11-23
				or any other applicable law;
7. The
				ability of a local unit to extend the amount of time for submission of offers beyond
				the originally advertised date and time;
8. The ability of the local unit to view which
				prospective offerors have interacted with the procurement solicitation, as well as
				immediately view submitted offers after the submission deadline has
				passed;
9. Individual user accounts with
				password protected access for local unit officers and employees, wherein permitted
				activities on the platform can be restricted and segregated. Individual user account
				activity shall be archived to facilitate administrative review and investigation.
				The platform shall set a maximum time for inactivity before the user is
				automatically logged out;
10.
				Platform-related help desk support for prospective offerors and the local unit
				through the internet, email, and at least one toll-free telephone number;
11. Web-based training, including online
				tutorials, for both prospective offerors and those local unit officers and employees
				responsible for administering the local unit's competitive procurement
				process;
12. A standard complaint
				procedure concerning platform-related problems for both the local unit and offerors.
				The complaint procedure shall require that a complaint log be maintained, which
				shall be available to the local unit for inspection, along with a record of problems
				arising with the system and the resolution of same;
13. The ability to accommodate such set-aside
				programs as a local unit may establish for one or more procurements; and
14. The ability to download and print each package
				of submitted offer documents, tabulate offers into a spreadsheet format, publish
				offer results and local unit contract awards online, as desired by the local
				unit.