At NJBIA’s Selling to the Top: Doing Business with New Jersey Top Companies and State Government, held at the Sheraton Newark Airport Hotel November 3, 150 attendees met one-on-one with purchasing agents from the State and companies like PSEG and sanofi-aventis, and they got great advice from the people who do the buying.

Panelists emphasized some obvious things—neatness, following instructions, and getting proposals in on time—as well as the tips that

make a proposal stand out. 

Many purchasers want to get to the point—the service or product to be provided and how much it’s going to cost.  “If we have to dig through a lot of flowery boilerplate, it just wastes everybody’s time,” said Joseph DiPaolo of Atlantic Health System.

State business is done in the open, said Alice Small, who runs the NJ Division of Purchase and Property.  Requests for proposals (RFPs), questions and answers about specifications, and even the awards themselves are conducted publicly so that all companies have a fair chance.  Bidders can even challenge the bid specifications.

Small said anyone interested in doing business with the State should use the purchasing Web site, www.nj.gov/treasury/purchase.  “If I can get all of you to put our Web site on your favorites, I will have done my job.”

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