NJ Transit holds open house for contractors, business owners

New Jersey Transit hosted contractors, small business owners and disadvantaged business enterprises (DBEs) earlier this week to showcase $800 million in contracting opportunities in capital construction projects available in the coming year.

It was the first such open house that NJ Transit has held in a decade. About 150 attendees heard from NJ Transit officials, who emphasized the state's commitment to rebuilding infrastructure, investing in state-of-good-repair projects and building capacity in the contracting pool, according to a NJ Transit press release.

“The more qualified firms we have to choose from makes for greater competition, which ultimately improves pricing as well as the overall quality of goods and services,” said NJ Transit Executive Director Kevin Corbett. “Contracting with DBEs is a priority for [New Jersey] Gov. [Phil] Murphy and a personal priority for me, and I will make sure we maximize DBE participation on our contracts.” 

Highlighted projects included the state-of-good repair program and rail infrastructure opportunities as well as resilience projects, such as the $150 million long slip fill and rail enhancement project, which is designed to enable the agency to operate train service longer and recover more quickly from storm events, according to a project overview.

Attendees also learned about the agency's upgraded electronic bidding process.

Another open house is being discussed for fall 2019, agency officials said.