Welcome to the NJSTART Team's 2025 Quarter Two Newsletter!
This Edition Contains:
An invitation to our upcoming NJSTART 101 Training Webinar
Updated reports on State of New Jersey contracts
Tips for when you are using NJSTART
NJSTART News and Announcements
Ask the Contract Guys
Survey Questions - these change every quarter and your feedback is valued
A Message from the Local Government Manager on using the Punchout feature in NJSTART
Next NJSTART 101 Training Webinar
We are excited to invite you to our upcoming NJSTART 101 webinar!Join us on Tuesday, June 10th at 1:00 pm to get an in-depth look at the NJSTART platform. During this session, we will provide valuable insights on how to utilize the platform more effectively and navigate the NJSTART Marketplace.
These webinars are a fantastic opportunity to deepen your understanding of NJSTART, ask any questions you might have, and to see how we support your day-to-day State contract purchasing needs. We’re looking forward to your participation!
Quarterly State of New Jersey Cooperative Contracts List:
Please use this link to download a spreadsheet containing a comprehensive listing of State of New Jersey contracts open to New Jersey Cooperative Purchasing Program Participants. Available tabs include:
All contracts as of April 2025 with Notes
New contracts since November 2024
Extended contracts since November 2024
Expired contracts since November 2024
Contracts Expiring soon (over next three months)
Worksheets specific to Public Safety, Information Technology and Facilities.
Please review the Notes column provided in each of the views listed above to review whether a soon to expire contract portfolio is being re-procured, or if there are any extensions remaining on those contracts. This information is for informational purposes only and is meant to help all participants plan better when leveraging State of New Jersey Cooperative Contracts.
Expanding NJSTART User Community for Enhanced Contract Reporting
To better support your organization with detailed and functional-specific contract reports, NJSTART is working to expand its user community. We are requesting that each organization register department heads from the following key functional areas:
Public Safety
Information Technology
Facilities / Public Works
Our goal is to deliver targeted contract reporting and insights tailored to the unique needs of each department. Expanding participation in NJSTART will ensure better transparency, efficiency, and service delivery across all operational areas.
If you have any questions or need assistance with the registration process, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
NJ Local Buying units can always find a list of upcoming Procurement Opportunities on the State’s website here. As part of the NJSTART contract reports, a new column is added to the Quarterly State of New Jersey Contracts List report.
These notes now provide NJ Local Buying units with added visibility to what the State, Division of Purchase & Property is seeking to procure or re-procure. It is important to remember that all procurement opportunities may not become State contracts available for cooperative purchasing.
Users can always access the most up-to-date current/active bid through the advanced search within the NJSTART system. For help or any question regarding how to do this please contact the NJSTART team at coop-njstart@mdcommerce.com.
Compliance
Be sure to sign up for Office of NJ State Comptroller Updates. These updates are full of valuable information useful to all public purchasing entities.
To ensure continued access for users and the proper maintenance of login credentials in the NJSTART system, please notify us promptly at coop-njstart@mdfcommerce.com if you need to make any changes. This will be an ongoing effort as we continue to expand and support an increasing number of organizations and users.
Ask the NJSTART Guys
Hear from Bill Hnatiuk - NJSTART Local Government Manager and
Trevor Day - NJSTART General Manager, as they answer
commonly asked questions, like:
Question: Is Marketplace Search the same thing as NJSTART?
Answer:
Marketplace is a feature of NJSTART. It is a single-line keyword search feature. (See the message from Bill Hnatiuk on Key Features below.)
Question: Can compliance documents be found on the Bid Solicitation be used?
Answer:
Required compliance documents must be gathered by each public purchasing entity individually and are not available as an attachment for a Bid Solicitation. Users can look on the vendor profile to see if relevant attachments exist for that vendor. Please ensure that the dates are within the timeframe you require. If not, reach out to the vendor or look for it on a state website.
Question: How can I tell if a contract is active and purchasable?
Answer:
Contracts with a future end date that are labeled in “SENT “ status are considered active and purchasable. Remember to check the attachments tab for details.
Question: How do I update my profile or reset my password?
Answer:
Click on the link on the login screen for Login Assistance and follow the prompts. Only someone from the NJSTART Team with Administrator access can make these changes. Please contact NJSTART coop-njstart@mdfcommerce.com if you need assistance.
YOUR FEEDBACK IS VALUABLE!
Please take our one-question survey to help us collect your feedback on obstacles and challenges when using the NJSTART platform.
Key Features for Local Buying Units regarding how to use the NJSTART Marketplace Search
Ability to Contact Suppliers Directly from the tool
Search function only returns “Active” Contracts – no more sorting through expired contracts
Search Function only returns contracts available for Cooperative purchasing. No more confusion with contracts that are set aside for State Agency use only.
Single Search Bar for easier searching contracts/vendors/items
Ability to “Filter” search results by various categories
In the screenshot below, we provide how to navigate to the Marketplace. There is one other way that users can navigate.
Located on the left-hand tool bar of the NJSTART dashboard (see icon circled in red) this icon navigates you to the new search feature.Alternatively, select Marketplace on the search tool bar at the top of the screen(see area circle in purple)to enter your keyword search. This will navigate you to the Marketplace search results page.
Join the NJSTART Customer Advisory Board
As part of our ongoing efforts to better understand and address the needs of our users, NJSTART is expanding its Customer Advisory Board. The board provides a valuable opportunity for customers to share feedback on issues related to the NJSTART system, suggest enhancements, ask contract-related questions, and engage in broader discussions surrounding public purchasing.
We are establishing a consistent quarterly meeting schedule for the year, with meetings set for:
September 18, 2025
December 18, 2025
All meetings will be limited to one hour, starting at 1pm and an agenda will be provided in advance. Additionally, we will aim to schedule representatives from NJ DPP, DCA, and various associations to join us for these sessions.
If you are interested in joining the advisory board, please email me directly at bill.hnatiuk@mdfcommerce.com, and I will ensure you are added to the list.
Have you registered for NJSTART?
The NJSTART Team is committed to continually enhancing our support for public purchasing entities. To do so, I encourage organizations and users to register using the following links:
Step 1: Use this link to register your organization.
Step 2: Use this link to add additional users (there is no limit to the number of departments or users)
This will also ensure that you receive The NJSTART Quarterly Newsletter which is our primary means for communicating with our user community, invitations to training, and providing support.
Remember to log into the NJSTART system regularly to ensure your account remains active.
Responsive Module
Would you like to schedule an onsite or virtual NJSTART Training session for your organization?
