Politics & Government

Bramnick To Hold Saturday Press Conference in SP

The assemblyman will address a new state contract that excludes some of the state's small businesses.

District 21 Assemblyman Jon Bramnick has announced that he'll be holding a press conference in downtown Scotch Plains on Saturday to discuss a new directive from the state Treasury Department that excludes the state's small businessmen.

Seventeen New Jersey office supply firms reached out to Bramnick after the state notified them that they will not be able to go out to bid on a new multi-million dollar government contract.

The state recently announced that, effective Sept. 1, it will be signing a contract with Staples Advantage, which has its corporate headquarters in Massachusetts. In not allowing the New Jersey office supply firms to bid on this deal, Bramnick says the new contract appears to disregard the portion of the law that says the agreement must be the most cost effective.

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“We don’t know if it’s the most cost effective unless these 17 firms have a chance to bid,” Bramnick said.

The firms, which are part of the National Office Products Alliance, have been supplying the state since 2004. The learned last week that their contracts would not be renewed and that the new contract would be awarded without giving them an opportunity to bid.

Find out what's happening in Scotch Plains-Fanwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The firms are located throughout New Jersey and employ more than 200 workers.

In a statement, Bramnick said he has urged the Corzine Administration to rethink its decisions, adding that the small business owners questioned whether the state will get the same quality merchandise under the new contract.

“They told me a pen is not a pen,” Bramnick said. “You may pay less for the pen and the pen may run out of ink sooner.”

The press conference will be held at noon tomorrow at Bramnick's law office, located at 1827 East Second Street in Scotch Plains.

 


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