[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee of the Township of Lumberton 5-20-1985 by Ord. No. 1985-8 (part of Ch. II of the 1973 Code). Amendments noted where applicable.]
Lumberton Township recognizes that it is in the public interest to develop and adopt a purchasing procedure manual to assist all department heads and employees in the procurement of goods and services on behalf of the Township; and the Township recognizes that a uniform, established purchasing procedure is in the public interest in order to control spending and efficiently manage government expenditures.
A purchase procedure manual for Lumberton Township in accordance with all state statutes, rules and regulations is hereby authorized by Lumberton Township. Each municipal department of Lumberton Township must abide by the state-mandated purchasing system in order to control spending and efficiently manage each department's budget, in order to regulate expenditures and to prevent overexpenditure of Township funds.
Said purchasing procedure manual will be prepared by the office of the Township Clerk/Administrator and promulgated by that office. Copies shall be made available for all departments and shall be available for public inspection and review. Said purchasing procedure manual for Lumberton Township, available at the office of the Township Clerk/Administrator, is hereby incorporated by reference in this chapter.
[Added 12-18-2006 by Ord. No. 2006-19; amended 12-7-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-14]
The provisions of § 54-4 through § 54-6 of this chapter shall govern the award of all professional services contracts to which said sections and the provisions of N.J.S.A. 19:44A-1 et seq. apply. In the event of a conflict between state statute and any other purchasing procedures established by the Township, the state statute shall control.
[Added 12-18-2006 by Ord. No. 2006-19; amended 12-7-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-14]
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
For purposes of this chapter means, as defined by N.J.S.A. 40A:11-2(6), services rendered or performed by a person authorized by law to practice a recognized profession, whose practice is regulated by law, and the performance of which services requires knowledge of an advanced type in field of learning acquired by a prolonged formal course of specialized instruction and study as distinguished from general academic instruction or apprenticeship and training. For purposes of this chapter, however, professional services shall not include professional artistic services as defined at N.J.S.A. 40A:11-2(6). Professional services shall include financial services or insurance services.
PUBLIC EXIGENCY
As determined by the State Treasurer as applied to the award of Title 19 contracts, and as determined by the governing body as applied to professional service contracts with value of $17,500 or less.
TITLE 19 CONTRACTS
A contract or agreement, between the Township of Lumberton and a "business entity" as defined within N.J.S.A. 19:44A-20.7, which has an anticipated value in excess of $17,500 as determined in advance and certified in writing by the Township Purchasing Agent, including but not limited to professional services contract, extraordinary unspecifiable contracts, other contracts exempt from bidding (value in excess of $17,500 but less than Township's bid threshold), and cooperative purchasing. Contracts awarded by competitive contracting pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40A:11-4.1 et seq. and contracts which must be publicly bid under the Local Public Contracts Law are not included in the definition of "Title 19 Contracts" for purposes of this chapter.
[Added 12-18-2006 by Ord. No. 2006-19; amended 12-7-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-14]
A. 
The municipality shall award all Title 19 contracts and all contracts for the provision of professional services in a fair and open process and on the basis of qualification based, competitive negotiation.
B. 
Professional service contract and Title 19 contract requests for proposals shall be published by the posting of a public notice at least 10 days prior to the awarding of any Title 19 contract or contract for professional services.
C. 
The public notice shall be:
(1) 
Prominently posted in the public place reserved for Sunshine Law notices;
(2) 
Mailed, telephoned, telegrammed, faxed or hand delivered to at least two newspapers designated to receive such notices because they have the greatest likelihood of informing the public within the municipality, one of which shall be the official newspaper of the municipality, or on the internet website maintained by Lumberton Township; and
(3) 
Filed with the clerk of the municipality.
D. 
The public notice shall, at minimum, include:
(1) 
A description of the services or goods needed, including, where appropriate, a description of tasks involved.
(2) 
Threshold qualification requirements setting the highest possible, minimum standards for qualifying to complete for the particular services, tasks and/or goods involved.
(3) 
Notice that standardized submission requirements and selection criteria are on file and available at a stated location in the Township.
(4) 
Deadline and place for all submissions, and the manner by which the contract shall be publicly opened and announced when awarded.
E. 
Standardized submission requirements shall include:
(1) 
Names and roles of the individuals who will perform the task and a description of their experience with projects similar to the matter being advertised.
(2) 
References and record of success.
(3) 
Description of ability to provide the services in a timely fashion (including staffing, familiarity and location of key staff).
(4) 
Cost details, including the hourly rates of each of the individuals who will perform services and time estimates for each individual, all expenses, and, where appropriate, total cost of "not to exceed" amount.
F. 
The selection criteria to be used in awarding a Title 19 contract or a contract or agreement for professional services shall include:
(1) 
Full name and business address.
(2) 
Qualifications of the individuals who will perform the tasks and the amounts of their respective participation (professional services contracts only).
(3) 
Any professional or business licenses held by the applicant in the State of New Jersey, or any other state, including a "certificate of good standing," or other documents evidencing that the license is not presently suspended or revoked.
(4) 
The number of licensed professionals employed by, or associated with, the applicant.
(5) 
A listing of all degrees (college and/or graduate degrees) held by the applicant and any associated professionals in the business entity (professional service contracts only).
(6) 
A listing of all public entities for whom the business entity has had a contractual relationship, either currently or previously, including the dates of service and the contracts held.
(7) 
A listing of any professional affiliations or membership in any professional societies or organizations, including any offices or honors held (professional services contracts only).
(8) 
Experience and references.
(9) 
Ability to perform the task in a timely fashion (professional service contracts shall include staffing and familiarity with subject matter).
(10) 
Cost consideration, including, but not limited to, historical costs for similar professional services, expertise involved and comparable costs for comparable public entities.
G. 
All contracts awarded under the processes and procedures set forth in this chapter shall be publicly opened and announced when awarded.
H. 
All submissions shall be kept on file during the term of the related contract, and shall be public records after the deadline for the submission or proposals and award of the contract.
I. 
Exceptions.
(1) 
If public exigency requires the immediate delivery of goods or performance of emergency services, the Township Council may waive part or all of the requirements by a majority vote of the full Council in the appointing resolution, setting forth with specificity the reasons such waiver is required.
(2) 
If requests for proposals have been advertised pursuant to this chapter and: a) no responses have been received; or b) less responses were received than the number of positions needed; or c) responses received did not meet the minimum specifications or were otherwise nonresponsive, the governing body may negotiate with any qualified business entity and may award a contract upon adoption of a resolution by a two-thirds affirmative vote of the authorized membership of the governing body. The terms, conditions, restrictions and specifications set forth in the negotiated contract may not be substantially different from those which were the subject of request for proposals.