Doing Business with Atlantic County - FAQs

The County has procured the services of BidExpress to advertise and receive bids. A vendor must be registered on BidExpress in order to download and submit a bid for Atlantic County. You can register online through the Bid Express portal.

Bids shall be received online only through the Bid Express portal. No paper submission will be accepted.

Atlantic County almost always (with very rare exceptions that are clearly stated) opens bids at 11:00 A.M. on the given day. Bids are always publicly opened in the County Office building located at 1333 Atlantic Ave in Atlantic City. Bids are opened via a weblink. If you wish to be notified of a bid opening, please contact the purchasing office with your email address.

It is your responsibility to ensure that your bid is delivered by the due date and time. Late bids are not accepted.

We post bid results online after a bid is opened.

Yes, bid documents can be obtained online through bid express if you are registered.

There is no charge for most bid documents available on the bid portal. If a fee is required for plans and specifications, it will be stated on the portal record.

You can view Atlantic County’s upcoming bid information here or visit the County's Bid Express portal to see what contracts are currently being advertised for bids.

Any County or Municipal contract in excess of $17,500 that is not awarded through a Fair and Open Process is subject to NJ State Pay-to-Play restrictions.

Under N.J.S.A. 19:44A-20.4 et seq., a “fair and open” process is a competitive process compliant with the rules and restrictions set forth by the State’s Local Unit Pay-to-Play law. Specifically, the “fair and open” process shall include, at minimum:

• Public advertisement (either conventionally in newspapers or posted on the entity’s website) with “sufficient time to give notice,” and
• Award under “a process that provides for public solicitation of proposals or qualifications,” and
• Established on the basis of an award and disclosure process documented in writing prior to any solicitation, and
• Publicly opened and announced when awarded

In January 2015 the County passed Ordinance No. 2 of 2015 which adopts the election contribution provisions of State law found at NJSA 19:44A-1, et. seq. While contractors are still required to report all reportable contributions in excess of $300, pursuant to NJSA 19:44A-8(d), a contractor is permitted to contribute up to $2,600 per election in the aggregate to any candidate for elective County office pursuant to NJSA 19:44A-11.3 and still be eligible for a County contract so long as the contract is awarded under a “fair and open process” as defined by the statute.

Pursuant to NJSA 19:4A-11.4 a contractor can contribute up to $25,000 per year in the aggregate to any State Committee of a political party, $37,000 per year in the aggregate to any County Committee of a political party and $7,200 per year in the aggregate to any Municipal Committee of any political party and still be eligible for a County contract so long as the contract is awarded pursuant to a “fair and open process.”

The reportable contribution limits of NJSA 19:44A-8 only disqualify a contractor from receiving a County contract if the contract is awarded pursuant to a “non-fair and open process” also known as an alternate method contract.

Under New Jersey Sate Pay to Play, yes, all contracts in excess of $17,500 are subject to a fair and open process or must comply with the reporting requirements of a non-fair and open process.

Under the New Jersey Pay to Play, yes, provided that the contribution is returned within sixty (60) days of said contribution. ELEC should be consulted for additional information.

Atlantic County lists all open competitive Requests for Proposals (RFP) on their Bid Express portal.

No, Atlantic County does not charge for RFP documents.

Yes, RFP documents can be obtained online through the Bid Express portal if you are registered.

The evaluation process can take a number of months to complete. You can be assured that as soon as the process is completed, all firms will be notified.

All proposals are reviewed by an evaluation committee comprised of Atlantic County employees with knowledge, expertise and experience sufficient to make a fair and reasonable evaluation.